


Trials by Nature

by Lexysama



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Hormones, Humor, Mates, Romance, Sexual Content, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-09
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 00:17:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 69,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3708277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lexysama/pseuds/Lexysama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary:<br/>When Levy invites Lucy and Natsu on a mission to translate wall carvings from an ancient temple, they accidentally invoke the "Trials by Nature", a series of tests that an ancient tribe used as a way to initiate members into adult hood. They must conquer the twelve basic animal instincts, while trying to reign in the feelings that the trials invoke in them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

_Summary:_

_When Levy invites Lucy and Natsu on a mission to translate wall carvings from an ancient temple, they accidentally invoke the "Trials by Nature", a series of tests that an ancient tribe used as a way to initiate members into adult hood. They must conquer the twelve basic animal instincts, while trying to reign in the feelings that the trials invoke in them._

...

* * *

Lucy smiled as Mira sat down her ordered smoothie. "Thanks Mira."

The eldest Take-Over sibling smiled back at her as she grabbed an abandoned plate and beer mug, putting it under the bar to be collected later.

"No problem Lucy, if you need anything else just call me and I'll be here."

Lucy nodded, then sighed as she sipped on her strawberry smoothie. If Mirajane had seen her sigh, she hadn't thought much of it as she moved down to the other end of the bar to fulfill more orders from her thirsty guild mates. Looking around her at the eternally jolly guild, Lucy couldn't help but think that things had gotten a bit stale lately. Its already been two years since Tartarus's defeat, and everything thing has been peaceful. While she was glad there wasn't another madman hellbent on world domination at the moment, things had become a little _too_ peaceful for her tastes.

Now that's not to say that she actually wanted trouble to come, that was more or less her pink haired partner's line of thinking. She just wanted something more, _exciting_ to come along. Then again, this was Fairy Tail. There was always something exciting happening; the novelty of guild brawls never fell out of style, along with their never ending tradition to find a reason to party all night long. Last week, Wendy had gotten a good check up from her dentist and they'd partied for 2 days straight.

True, while things at the guild never failed when it came to all things lively, the missions however, were the same old things time and time again; "Help! Exterminate giant monster!" "Bandits are terrorizing our village!" "Take out a dark guild!"

It was the same thing over and over again, and unfortunately for her, those were the highest paid missions they could take without it qualifying as an S class request. But even while they tended to be high paying they were also high risk, and because of her destructive teammates, highly destructive. That meant a lot of buildings and expensive things got destroyed.

And that usually meant little reward for Lucy.

Taking another long sip of her smoothie, she looked around and sighed in relief when she didn't see the pink head of her partner, Natsu. Going on missions with the destructive Fire Dragon slayer has been exasperating lately. While he always had a thing for coming to her rescue, lately he's prevented her from even joining in on the fight. Every time she tries, he gets in her way and takes out her enemy, turns around and gives her that megawatt smile that he's always known for, then dashes off to find the next unlucky villain.

She knows he means well, but she can't help being a bit offended by his recent attempts to keep her out of danger. She could damn well handle herself, _thank you very much_. Not to sound arrogant, but she was the only one who'd escaped the Alegria spell that managed to trap everyone else while they were battling Tartarus. In the end, she was the one who freed everyone, though it wasn't without a sacrifice on her part.

She smiled bitterly and fingered the seashell shaped locket around her neck, that contained the remains of Aquarius's key encased in a lacrima crystal. While she understood that without her sacrifice she and her friends would no doubt have perished in that battle, it still hurt that she could no longer see the irritable mermaid spirit who practically helped raise her after her mother died. Loke and her other spirits often told her how Aquarius was doing, so that lessened the pain somewhat, but she knew that the pain would never truly go away. Hearing about Aquarius would never make up for her absence, and Lucy often blamed herself for not being strong enough at the time, so that Aquarius wouldn't have had to make that sacrifice.

The Spirit King, sensing her enormous grief, was nice enough to turn Aquarius's power into magic power for her. Now, along with her other keys she could use Water Magic. For that, she was glad. It made her feel closer to the mermaid, who was her very first friend. Even if Aquarius claimed to have always hated her, Lucy knew that Aquarius loved her just as much as Lucy did her. After Fairy Tail was reunited after a year of being broken up, she asked Juvia to secretly teach her how to use her new gift, and after a bit of reassuring the Water Mage that she wasn't trying to learn just to steal away Gray, she agreed. Lucy was proud to say that after a year, she was just as proficient in Water Magic as Juvia was. She hadn't told her teammates about her new ability yet because she wanted to surprise them, but because of Natsu's interference, she hasn't had the opportunity to yet.

Finishing her smoothie and stretching, she figured now was as good a time as any to pick out a mission before Natsu got the chance to send them on some kind of suicide mission. Putting a few jewels on the counter for her smoothie, she hopped off of her stool at the bar and made her way to the mission board, dodging various objects like chairs and bottles and even guild members, more than used to the constant playful warfare of Fairy Tail. Finally arriving, she quickly glanced over the board and her hopes dropped when she couldn't find anything that would even remotely interest her, let alone Natsu. Letting out a disappointed sigh, she began to make her way to the door, intent on finding a book or something at home to entertain herself with.

'I should start my newest chapter, but I'm kind of stuck. And since there's not much else I can do here, I'll just have to wait until tomorrow to see if some new missions come in-'

"Lu-chan!"

Lucy halted her journey home and turned around to see the smaller woman jogging towards her from the second floor stairs, with, unsurprisingly, Gajeel trailing behind her at a slower pace. The moody Iron Dragon slayer could usually be found hovering around the book loving blue-nette most days. In fact, his presence around Levy nowadays was nearly constant, to the horror of her Shadow Gear teammates. The blue haired woman didn't seem to mind, in fact, Lucy more often than not found her smiling happily with her nose in a book, with the Iron Dragon slayer right beside her, silent but content just to be in her presence. Sometimes Pantherlily would join them; often holding a cup of kiwi juice or even resting in the Solid Script mage's lap, snoozing as she idly stroked the feline warrior's head. Though Lily was nowhere to be seen around them this time.

"Hi Levy! How's everything going?"

Levy panted a bit when she reached her, taking a moment to catch her breath before straightening up to give the blonde a wide smile. "I'm glad I caught you! There's a mission I want you to do with me and Gajeel!"

Lucy's interest peaked. A mission with Levy and Gajeel? That certainly would switch things up, maybe enough to give her the excitement she's been looking for.

"Oh yeah? What kind of mission?"

The bluenette searched through the bag at her hip for a bit, before retrieving and holding up a crumpled mission poster, its bottom end still partly folded up. "Its to translate some wall carvings in an ancient temple! Master said the client requested me specifically but said that I could bring help!"

Lucy's interest promptly wilted. Of course it was a research mission. How could she forget Levy's love of anything literature? Then again, Lucy also loved literature and could even admit that she could be just as rabid as Levy sometimes when it came to books. However, the mission she was offering just wasn't what she was looking for at the moment and she decided to decline. Besides, maybe if Levy and Gajeel went alone they could finally get over this awkward sexual tension that's developed between them and finally move their relationship to the next level.

She saw Gajeel's eyebrow twitch a bit, before he promptly rested his large arm atop the much smaller mage's head. Its a habit he's had yet to break, and one that Levy didn't seem to mind as much as she used to. "Oi, Shrimp, the flier's still folded up. She can't read the whole thing."

Levy glanced down at the flier in her hand and her mouth made an 'O' shape in realization. "Oops! Sorry Lu-chan!" She then used her other hand to grasp the folded end of the paper and straightened it out, allowing Lucy to see the entire description. As well as the part about the 2 million jewel reward in big bold text, making it impossible to miss.

'Cha- _CHING_ '

That was the only thought in Lucy's head as she eyed the generous reward. All that money just for translating some ruins? "T-Thats..."

Levy giggled at what Lucy knew was an incredulous expression on her face. "I knew you'd like that part Lu-chan. And," Levy came closer to speak lowly in her ear. "There's a 1 million jewel bonus if we can find some ancient relic that's theorized to be in the temple."

And with that, Lucy's brain promptly short circuited, and after a moment, her senses came back and she grinned. With all of that money, plus the possibility of the bonus, she could pay her rent off for just about the rest of the year and still have loads of spending money after the fact. Just the thought of not having her landlady on her back about rent was the final puzzle piece falling into place.

"I'll do it!"

"Do what Luce?"

Lucy's thoughts of financial bliss were quickly halted when Natsu promptly butted into their conversation, putting an arm around her shoulder as he looked over the details of the flier.

'No. Nonononono! If Natsu comes the whole temple will be destroyed, and we'll never get the reward!'

Natsu frowned as he looked over the mission and her hopes started to rise again. Maybe he won't be interested and find something on his own!

"Eh? Translate some ruins? This is boring, why would you want to do that Lucy?"

She heard Levy huff and she looked away from Natsu to see the bluenette glaring at the pink haired Dragon slayer. "For your information, Natsu, these ruins happen to be from an ancient tribe, that may have had ties to a powerful Lost Magic. Its not boring!"

Natsu's attention, however, was no longer on Levy but on Lucy as he tried to urge her toward the mission board to find another mission. "Come on Lucy lets find another mission, one where we get to beat something up!"

Oh no, Lucy thought. She wasn't gonna let this happen again. He would choose something dangerous, stuff gets destroyed, and they end up paying most of their reward back to fix the damages. With that in mind, she stood her ground and crossed her arms, hoping that he would take the hint that she was not giving in, not this time.

"No way Natsu. Besides, don't you mean _you_ get to beat something up? I haven't been able to contribute anything during our last few missions because you keep beating them up for me!"

As she glared at him she noticed that he seemed, unusually focused on her. And, maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she could of sworn she saw his expression change into something devious before he gave his familiar grin, showing off his fanged teeth. Whatever it was, it was familiar. Something she'd never seen before in him but in someone else, but she couldn't think of who. "What? I thought you didn't like to get down and dirty. I was doing you a favor."

She blushed briefly at his choice of words and turned away from him, arms crossed under her generous bust. "I can handle myself just fine Natsu, but I want a change from our usual missions, so I'm going with Levy and Gajeel this time."

She'd thought that would be the end of it since he thought the mission was boring but of course, Natsu always has this nasty little habit of proving her wrong.

"Okay, then I'm coming too."

She swiftly turned back around, eyes wide and mouth open in shock. "N-No! You can't!"

His grin immediately dropped into a frown, and for some reason his expression was intense enough to intimidate her, just a bit. "Why the hell not?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but thought better of it. What could she say? That he was a destructive moron whose tendency to light everything on fire always made any reward they get dwindle down to nothing? She heard Gajeel and Levy snicker and turned to them to see what was so funny, before feeling someone poke her in the head. Turning back to Natsu, she saw that he had a slightly hurt expression, if the small pout on his face was anything to go by.

"Oi, that's not nice Luce..."

Putting the pieces together, she realized that she'd voiced her internal monologue out loud and covered her mouth in shock and guilt. "Oh my goodness, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

Gajeel sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes. "Its not like you weren't telling the truth. I'd be worried too if this fire hazard was anywhere near something valuable."

Natsu removed his arm from Lucy and his fists lit up. "You wanna go screws for brains!?"

Gajeel too removed his arm from Levy's head and smashed his fist into his palm. "Anytime you're ready, Pinky."

Levy jumped between them, her arms outstretched. "This isn't the time for that! Besides Gajeel," she said, turning towards him and pinning him with a glare. "You're just as bad as Natsu is, but I'm still bringing _you_ along."

Gajeel flinched a bit before turning his head away, a small blush on his face. "Che, Its an old temple so there's bound to be some broken off parts. Some areas might even be unstable so its extra dangerous. You'll need me for the heavy lifting, and to help keep the predators away. That area is known for Dire Wolves. Its not like those two weaklings can do all of that."

Before Levy could reprimand him for insulting her teammates, Natsu cut in. "That's it! I can help with the heavy lifting and stuff. It doesn't hurt to have a little more extra muscle eh? Let me come Luce, I promise I'll be good!"

Lucy averted her eyes from Natsu's begging face. He seemed to have forgotten what she said about him, which was a relief, but now he was trying his best to tag along on the mission she had hoped would give her a break from him. While she didn't mind him being around most of the time, his recent clinginess was becoming a bit too much for her to handle, and whenever she resisted, he resorted to using dirty tricks to snuff out her irritation and put himself back in her good graces, just like right now...

'Damn him, he knows I can't resist that face...'

She blushed a bit and bit her lip, embarrassed to have his gaze so focused on her. If she were completely honest with herself, he made a good point. While Gajeel was strong on his own, it definitely wouldn't hurt to have two dragon slayers on their side. It was an ancient temple, and because of the extremely high reward with an added bonus, there was no doubt some danger involved. She'd learned in the past that nothing was ever that easy. The temple could have traps or other hidden dangers. If they found the relic, who knew if it was cursed or not? Logically, having them both there made sense...

But it wasn't worth it if Natsu couldn't control his destructive tendencies, and she didn't want Levy's mission to be ruined by her or Natsu's presence.

Turning to Levy, she sighed. "Its your mission Levy, ultimately the decision is up to you."

Levy thought for a moment, Natsu watching her. When she nodded her head, Natsu grinned victoriously and once again put his arm around her. "See? Everything will be fine Luce, I won't destroy anything, you and Levy get to do the wordy stuff, and we get the reward! Its that easy!"

Lucy sighed and smiled a bit. She didn't get to have time away from him, but maybe Natsu was right. If he could reign himself in, maybe this mission would be good for all of them. She got to do a mission with her best girlfriend, Gajeel and Natsu would do all of the hard work, and if they were lucky, they'd find this relic and get an even bigger pay out. She began seeing the brighter side of the situation and in return, her enthusiasm for the mission quickly rose. "Okay, I guess you're right, but no destruction! Its a temple so its a valuable part of history."

Natsu scoffed and grinned even more, smug because he'd gotten his way. "Of course I'm right, Luce. I'm always right."

This time it was Gajeel who scoffed, and Natsu quickly turned toward him, his fists lit aflame once again for an impending fight. "You wanna go Bolt Breath?!"

"Lets do this Flame head!"

"Stop fighting!"

Then again with Natsu in the equation, things never went as planned.

...

* * *

 

Thanks for reading guys! What do you think of it so far? Do you have any questions? Send me a review!


	2. Chapter 2

 

_Summary:_

_When Levy invites Lucy and Natsu on a mission to translate wall carvings from an ancient temple, they accidentally invoke the "Trials by Nature", a series of tests that an ancient tribe used as a way to initiate members into adult hood. They must conquer the twelve basic animal instincts, while trying to reign in the feelings that the trials invoke in them._

...

* * *

After they signed off on the mission, Gajeel and Natsu reluctantly go off to pack and gather camping gear for the trip. The client's village was a day and a half's walk to the temple, so they had no choice but to camp out at the ruins. While the boys were gone, Lucy and Levy decided to head to the library to do a little research before they left the next day. The mission didn't have a due date, so they could take their time in translating everything without feeling pressed for time. Hopefully, the temple was smaller than it was portrayed on the flier. Otherwise it could take weeks to translate everything. Other than the information about the reward and the actual mission, it doesn't say where the actual carvings were located in the temple for them to translate. Which meant they'd have to go looking. Luckily for them, since the client specifically requested Levy, they sent an actual piece of the carvings with the request for her to use. At the very least, they had a starting point and that would make things much easier than going into the project blind.

Lucy was currently searching for the last book on the list the Librarian had given them. It was supposed to be a book on ancient linguistics. It would give them an idea on what tribe or cultures actually used the language that was carved into the temple, which contained a variety of complex symbols and even pictures, resembling ancient hieroglyphs. Letting her eyes roam over the titles, they brightened when she finally spotted the old, but extremely large tome, but dimmed when she realized that the heavy book was out of her reach.

She huffed and grumbled in irritation as she grabbed a nearby stool and set about the task of getting the huge book down.

"Of course, its just my luck that the book that I need to get probably weighs a ton and is placed at the top of the book shelf..." She mumbled, attempting to balance herself on the rickety stool. Once she was steady enough, she grabbed the book by its spine and attempted to remove it. However, the combination of its weight on the shelf and the likelihood that it hasn't been checked out in a long time, made the leather binding stick to the old wood.

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise when the book wouldn't budge, and then narrowed as she insistently began tugging on the stubborn chunk of literature that seemed to thwart her every attempt at getting it down. By this time, a frustrated growl even slipped from her throat a few times as she clenched her teeth in anger and concentration.

"I can't believe this...If its not one thing, its another! Why." *tug* "Won't." *tug* "You." *tug, tug* "Come." *tug* "OUT!" *TUG*

Her last tug, full of her frustration was finally able to free the book from its spot on the shelf, and she grinned in satisfaction. That grin quickly changed into shock when she realized the force of her pull coupled with the increased momentum from the book's weight, made her already precarious balance on the stool fail. She let out a surprised yelp As she fell off the stool and onto the hard wooden floor. The book added the final blow as it landed squarely on her stomach, knocking whatever air she had left out of her.

She groaned as she pushed the book from her stomach and sat up, only to feel the impact of another book fall onto her head. She quickly hissed in pain, grabbing the throbbing area instinctively.

"Ow! Dammit that hurt!"

"Shhh!"

Still holding her head, she immediately turned to the person who had the nerve to shush her and glared, frightening the poor soul into gathering their things and moving elsewhere.

"Yeah, that's what I thought..."

She heard footsteps, and within seconds Levy came into view, holding her own stack of books. "Lu-chan did you find-, Lu-chan! Are you okay?!"

Seeing her best friend sprawled out on the floor, Levy rushed over and sat the books down on the nearby table and helped her up. "What happened?"

Lucy smiled a bit and idly rubbed the spot on her head where she'd been hit, the pain nearly gone at that point. "Yeah I'm okay. Stubborn book was stuck fast to the shelf and when I finally pulled it out I fell off the stool. Nothing big."

Levy didn't look convinced and was about to say so when she caught a glimpse of the book behind Lucy. She picked it up and read the title. "Lost Magic Throughout the Ages?"

"Hmmm?" Lucy said as she too looked over the title, and she grinned sheepishly. "Um, that one wasn't on the list, it actually-"

"Lu-chan you're brilliant!"

Lucy's original thoughts were interrupted as became confused by Levy's statement. "Huh?"

The bluenette pointed to the title of the book. "This book will be a huge help! Not only will we be able to find the Lost Magic that the tribe used, we might even be able to find out more about their culture and language!" She flipped through the book quickly, and frowned. "How did you even find this? It looks really old, so old that the pages are yellowed and the library stamp has mostly faded away."

She knew she wouldn't be able to answer Levy without feeling even more embarrassed than she already did about her tumble. So she smiled and rubbed the last bit of pain away from her head.

"Just lucky I guess."

...

* * *

After sitting down with their books and donning their gale force reading glasses, they began the task of researching and gathering as much information as they could on the ancient tribe's language. After 3 hours, they weren't getting very far. There weren't that many books in the first place that were available to help them, but it was already beginning to look hopeless. After finishing her third book, Lucy removed her gale force glasses and rubbed her tired eyes.

Noticing Lucy's closed book, Levy stopped reading and gave a small smile. "If you want, Lu-chan, you can go home and start getting ready for tomorrow. I'm used to staying here late."

Lucy shook her head and grinned a bit. "I'm fine Levy, I'm just trying to think of something else we havent checked yet."

Levy nodded and frowned a bit. "It is more difficult than I thought it would be find information on this language. I don't think there's been many written records found of the tribe's history. I'm beginning to think that most of their heritage was passed down by word of mouth before they disappeared."

Lucy frowned. "Disappeared?"

The bluenette nodded, before removing her own gale force glasses. "The temple ruins are actually in the center of a small village. That village was where the tribe resided, before suddenly disappearing. The few explorers who've actually gone there, have all said that when they looked into the homes, it appeared as though the residents were in the middle of every day life. Some found the dried remains of what they believed to be some kind of porridge or food inside of cooking pots. Others found old storehouses that contained a vast amount of grains. They even found stables, and in the stalls were the bones or remains of horses and other animals. They theorized that the animals more than likely died of starvation."

A shiver went down Lucy's spine. What kind of force, could make an entire tribe of people disappear without any warning whatsoever? She glanced at the flier on the table and frowned. She was right to suspect that this mission was too good to be true, and she suspected that if the Master had known of this tribe's vanishing act, he'd have never let Levy take it. But, she supposed that since Levy was nominated to become an S class wizard before the 7 year time gap, that he thought that this was something she could more than handle. Hearing this disturbing tale wiped away any reservations she had about Natsu joining them earlier.

As far as she knew, they might need all the fire power they could get.

Shaking off the feeling of unease, she glanced over all of the books they've read so far. They started from the top of the list, and with the finishing of Lucy's book, they were now at the end of it. There weren't any other books that the Librarian could find for them that would be helpful-

Wait.

Lucy quickly stood from her seat and began searching the table, nearly toppling the pile of books they'd already read and causing some carefully organized notes to fall to the floor. Levy let out a yelp in surprise, as she watched her friend disrupt their carefully put together research. "Lu-chan! What are you-"

"Aha!"

Lucy couldn't believe she'd forgotten about the book that landed on her head. Levy did say that it should contain some valuable information, but since they decided to start from their list it was put to the side. Holding up the book, she showed it to Levy, and saw her expression light up with excitement. "Oh yeah! I forgot about that one!"

The blonde nodded and put her glasses back on, magically speeding through the book before stopping at a section. "Levy! I think I found it!"

The bluenette immediately jumped out of her seat and joined Lucy on the other side of the table, trying to read the section she stopped at. "Is that it?"

Lucy nodded and pointed to the familiar picture of the temple. "This is the same temple from the flier, although it looks much better in this book than on the flier."

Levy expression changed from excitement to confusion. "You're right, it does. Even the landscape looks a bit different. Just how old is this book?" Lucy wondered the same thing, and immediately dog eared the current page, and took a look at the front page which contained all of the publishing information. After a moment of skimming the page, she found what she was looking for and her jaw immediately dropped open.

"W...What the..."

Wondering why Lucy had gone quiet, Levy went in for a closer look at the page as well. "Hmm? What's wrong Lu-chan? Is the publishing date in...there..."

"...Levy...This book was published over 400 years ago..."

...

* * *

After getting over the shock of finding out just how old their lucky book was, they were able to sit down and actually read what was written there. As it turned out, that one section was more helpful than all of the other books combined. They scribbled furiously in order to get as much data as they could. Earlier, Levy had brought up the idea that maybe the ancient book was no longer in the system, and per policy, if it wasn't listed, they could keep the book. As Levy turned the page to continue reading, her eyes became huge and she quickly snatched up the book to get a closer look, and to make sure her eyes weren't fooling her after hours of relentless research. "Lu-chan, I think I found something!"

Lucy looked up from her own work of decoding the symbols and went to Levy's side. "What did you find Levy?"

Levy pointed out her find, and grinned. "I think I just found the answer to our bonus!"

The Celestial Mage's eyes went wide and she immediately began reading the section that Levy pointed out.

_Chapter 33: Lost Magic of the Anima, and its Possible Origins_

_Based on the wall carvings that were found on the walls of what can be assumed the central chamber, it has been concluded that the ancient peoples who once lived in this area were experts in a type of animal magic. They depicted tribe members transforming into humanoid figures with various animal features; some of which are of creatures not even located in the same area or even the same continent as the tribe was._

Lucy stopped reading to look up at Levy, who appeared to be in thought. "Lu-chan...That sounds a lot like Take Over magic, but, there has yet to be any evidence of this tribe traveling to other parts of the continent let alone other parts of Earthland...They'd actually have to travel to take over the creatures that weren't in the area..."

They shared a concerned look, before Lucy continued reading on.

_There are even depictions of marriage ceremonies, every day life, and even battles. Interestingly enough, they seemed to be in chronological order. On one wall, though, there was a depiction of a massive battle or war between these humanoid creatures. At the end of it, was a depiction of the tribe worshiping what seems to be a small statue or totem with the various faces of animals carved into it. Such a thing has never been found, and it is very unlikely to ever turn up, but there are other depictions of ceremonies and rituals with the object of worship present in them. It is possible that it is either hidden or once resided within the temple._

_There is no doubt that this transformation was due to magic, and it has since been named "Anima Magic" due to the obvious connection to its relationship or dealings with animals. At this point in time there is very limited information about how to use or practice this magic, as the tribe seems to have suddenly disappeared overnight without any notice, nor any survivors._

The section ended ominously, and they gulped before Levy went back to her seat to begin gathering her notes. "Well Lu-chan, I think we've pretty much got everything we need. We can bring the book with us to finish decoding the rest of the symbols later. Lets just get out of here, pack, and rest up for tomorrow. Okay?"

Lucy nodded, and began packing up her things as well. When they were finished, they spoke briefly about the tome on lost magic. The librarian checked it and, like the girls expected, it was not listed and they were allowed to keep it. As they were checking out the other books, Levy seemed to remember something and quickly ran back into the sea of book shelves, before returning a few minutes later with a leather bound book under her arm.

"Lu-chan, I want you to check out this book, its about Dragons and their customs."

The blonde's expression became confused. "But, why?"

The bluenette, looked away and blushed a bit. "Well, I reached my check out limit...B-But!" She said, turning back to face the still baffled Celestial Mage. "Its for both of us to use! I know you've been frustrated with Natsu's recent behavior, and I noticed Gajeel acting weird too. I just thought that this might be the answer to whatever is going on with them. I know Natsu isn't one to hug people, but you've had to have noticed that he's been more touchy feely lately..."

She blushed again and her voice lowered almost to a whisper. "Gajeel's been...Touching me more..N-Not to say that their bad touches! Its just...it always seems like I need to be in his line of sight. Last week, he got upset with me because I went to the store by myself. It hurts my feelings, like he thinks I'm not strong enough to protect myself. He's even taken to walking me home every night..."

As Lucy looked at the downhearted mage, she couldn't help but realize that everything Levy said about Natsu's behavior was spot on. It wasn't something she was really worried about, since the Dragon Slayer didn't know the meaning of personal space. But now that Levy mentioned that Gajeel's behavior was off as well, there had to be something fishy going on. One Dragon Slayer acting weird is one thing, two was cause for alarm.

Her mind made up, she hugged Levy and smiled. "I'll check out the book. If anything, I'm glad you suggested it. I don't want to find out just how weird Natsu can get."

Levy smiled and they giggled, the previous despondent air gone. After checking out the book, they left the library, unsurprised to find the Fire and Iron Dragon Slayers waiting for them outside and carrying camping gear. When asked why they didn't just come inside, they revealed that the librarian wouldn't let them because of all of their gear. After a few face palms on the girls' end, they set up their meeting at the train station for 6 A.M. the next morning and parted ways; Levy being escorted by Gajeel, and Lucy by Natsu, who'd already taken the liberty of bringing his packed bag to her apartment with the intention of spending the night. Too tired to argue with him, she allowed him to spend the night on the condition he sleep on the couch.

He agreed, and when the next morning came she was unsurprised to wake up wrapped in his warm embrace, his head buried into her neck with his charming habit of snoring like a chainsaw. Along with that came the feeling of an abnormally warm hand on her breast and something poking her.

*Mavis take the wheel.

* * *

...

Hey guys! I hope you like the newest addition! I had to stop here because it was getting too long. Their trip begins next chapter! Stay tuned, and don't forget to review!

*Another take on the saying, _"Jesus take the wheel."_


	3. Chapter 3

 

_Summary:_

_When Levy invites Lucy and Natsu on a mission to translate wall carvings from an ancient temple, they accidentally invoke the "Trials by Nature", a series of tests that an ancient tribe used as a way to initiate members into adult hood. They must conquer the twelve basic animal instincts, while trying to reign in the feelings that the trials invoke in them._

...

* * *

'What...the actual, hell...'

Any further thought on Lucy's part was interrupted when the pink haired man that was currently trapping her in his hold suddenly breathed in deep through his nose and shifted, pulling her even tighter against him and letting the breath out in a what seemed to be a pained groan. She blushed heavily when she felt his hand tighten on her breast and what she knew was morning wood, press even more into her body. She gulped and dared to look at his face, and a feeling of relief shot through her when she discovered that he was still asleep. However, his expression did seem to be slightly tense, as though he were uncomfortable in some way. He groaned and shifted again, this time rolling his hips into her backside. She gasped in shock, and instead of a groan, a wanton moan that was so unlike the silly man she knew, slipped out of his lips and she was embarrassed to see his tense face relax a bit in what appeared to be relief.

She immediately turned her face away from his, and tried to control the furious beating of her heart. Had the Fire Dragon Slayer actually ground his erection into her? He couldn't have. She had to have been still asleep. She glanced at the time on the clock, and found that it was around 4:30 in the morning. So that explained it. It wasn't real. She was just tired, and as much as she hated it, they had to get up. They had all agreed to meet at the train station at 6 A.M. She doubted that it would take them long to get ready to leave, it was more because Natsu upon awakening would always demand that she make him breakfast like she was his personal chef.

'Or his wife...'

She blushed even more and pinched herself, wincing at the pain. She needed to stop these thoughts, and now that she pinched herself it made her realize that she was in fact, _not_ dreaming. Natsu had in fact crawled into her bed, _again_ , groped her in his sleep and ground his erection into her ass like she was one of those perverted hug pillows. And instead of feeling more embarrassed, she began to feel angry.

Oh _hell_ no.

It was time for him to get his flaming ass _up_ and _out_ of her bed.

Turning her head toward him again, because he was holding her so tightly that she couldn't move much more than that, she glared at him. "Natsu!"

The pink haired man groaned again and tightened his hold even more, burying his face even deeper into the column of her throat like it was his own way of rebelling against waking up. She could feel his abnormally hot breath fan over her neck and that warmth spread throughout her body and against her will, made it tingle and awaken in ways that were not appropriate for their relationship as best friends.

Letting out a shuddering breath, she steeled her nerves and said his name again, this time succeeding as Natsu breathed in deeply and stretched a bit, finally giving her some relief from the nearly crushing hold he had on her. He let out a jaw-cracking yawn and used the hand not currently still holding her breast and lightly ran it through his unruly head of pink colored spiky hair. His eyes opened blearily, and looked around in confusion at the darkness of the early dawn, and then to the blonde in his hold. To her amazement, he even had the _nerve_ to grin tiredly and snuggle close to her, not at all minding the implications of his actions. He mumbled quietly against the back of her neck, his voice husky from his slumber. "Its too early Luce, go back to sleep..."

Lucy wanted nothing more to comply, but she knew that they had to get up or they'd be late for their train. Though that thought didn't stop the tingling that spread through her body at the sound of his sleepy voice, and the fact that his hips were still pressed against her didn't make the thoughts that accompanied that tingling pure in the least.

It was times like this that Lucy was reminded that no matter how childish and carefree he acted, Natsu Dragneel was not a boy; _he was a grown man_. And this man didn't seem to be too keen on letting her get up, if the sudden tightening of his arms around her _once again_ had anything to do with it.

But by this time, Lucy had had enough. His hand was still groping her and having him poking her was not in the least bit comfortable. When she opened her mouth to wake him back up, she was cut off by another groan, this time of complaint as he muttered an oath under his breath. Then suddenly, he released her and sat up in the bed, revealing his bare chest and raking his hand through his hair. He then got up with another curse and headed to the bathroom, clad only in his red boxers.

The sound of the bathroom door closing snapped her out of whatever trance the blonde mage had been in, and reminded her that she was finally free to move. She immediately shot out of bed and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. She needed something to distract her from the awkward encounter between herself and Natsu. She heard the shower start, and she sighed in relief at having time to herself after being trapped in the Dragon Slayer's arms...

By the time she was finished cooking the eggs and bacon and halfway done with the pancakes, she was pretty much deaf to anything outside of the kitchen. Which was exactly why she jumped and yelped in surprise when she saw Natsu standing in the doorway, a towel wrapped around his lean hips while he worked on drying his hair with another one. "Natsu! You scared me! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

He gave a his signature grin and laid the towel around his neck. "Sorry about that Luce, I smelled food so I wanted to see what you were cooking." The blonde rolled her eyes in amusement and secretly reveled in the fact that things were getting back to normal. "Eggs, pancakes and bacon."

The pinkette's head perked up and she could see a bit of drool escape the side of his mouth.

"Thick cut bacon?"

She snorted and snickered at the hopeful look on his face. "Yeah yeah, just how you like it."

He gave a 'whoop!' in excitement and she smiled. Somehow, just seeing her best grinned, happy over a simple thing like bacon made her content. And that was how things should be. Friendly and simple, without the other side effects of complicated feelings.

Like the fluttering she felt in her chest when he smiled.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she turned back to the pancake she was cooking. "I'm glad you're happy, now go get dressed. You're dripping on my floor."

She expected to hear his footsteps head away from the kitchen, but instead she heard them come closer and before she could turn around and question him she was wrapped in his arms, his still damp hair resting on her head. His warmth spread through her again and despite her confusion and embarrassment, she couldn't help but feel safe in his embrace. "N-Natsu?"

"Thanks for everything Lucy... You're the best."

Her heart fluttered even stronger in her chest, and she briefly wondered if he could hear it. She turned her head to look at him. "You're welcome Natsu, but you don't have to thank me...Its only breakfast..."

He shook his head and smiled. "Its more than just breakfast you weirdo. You put up with me and take it in stride. You being at my side is more than I could ever hope to ask for."

She gasped softly and turned away so that he couldn't see the blush spreading over her cheeks. "Y-Yeah well, I'm glad you appreciate it."

She felt him grin against her crown and suddenly, his lips were next to her ear, his voice lowered in a husky tenor. "I'm burning up..."

Her eyes widened and she turned her head toward him. "W-What?"

"The pancake. Its burning up."

She blinked in confusion then turned her attention back to the stove, where her pancake was swiftly turning black. "Oh!" She quickly removed the ruined pancake from the hot pan and tossed it in the trash. She sighed in relief and quickly buttered the pan again and added more batter for a fresh pancake. "Thanks. I hadn't even noticed."

"No problem Luce, but did you have to throw it away? I kinda like it burnt."

She raised her eyebrow in intrigue but kept her attention on the pan. "You're welcome to get it out of the garbage if you want."

_"Oi_ , that's mean Lucy." He pretended to be offended, but she could feel him chuckle since his chest was pressed against her back. Speaking of which...

She quickly flipped her pancake and looked at him, pinning him with a half serious glare.

"Hey! You're still damp! You're gonna get me wet!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, his eyes flashed with an unknown intensity just like they had yesterday. Now that she thought about it, it sort of reminded her of when he took her fishing or hunting with him and Happy...Her eyes widened when she realized that it was _hunger_ , and the fact that he looked like he wanted to swallow her whole nearly left her breathless. A shiver went down her spine and she prayed that he didn't feel it. What was happening lately? When did Natsu's presence make her heart want to leap out of her chest? And when the hell did something as simple as his touch or gaze make her body sing a tune that wasn't appropriate for their friendship...At that moment, she didn't feel like his best friend. It felt more like she was his prey, and she was ashamed to admit that she might not have minded as much as she should have...

She felt her face heat up as she blushed again for the nth time that morning. The blonde didn't know how long she was caught in his hungry gaze, whether it was a few seconds or a few hours, but the intensity eventually left his eyes and he grinned, a hidden deviousness taking away some of the usual innocence he was known for. "Sure thing Luce."

And then he left, and against her will her eyes rolled over his broad shoulders, his tightly corded muscles, down to his hips and landed smack dab on his _phenomenal ass._

The image of him walking away replayed in her mind over and over again like her own personal movie, and would have no doubt kept going if he hadn't come back into the kitchen again, this time fully dressed. "Thanks Lucy!"

She blinked and then shook her head to clear the damned and forbidden images from her mind. "What?"

His face slightly turned down into a look of confusion. "Sheesh Lucy, you're so weird. I was thanking you for the pancake."

"Pancake?"

"Yeah! You made me another burnt one!"

What?

The blonde's eyes turned toward the pan again and they widened to the size of dinner plates when she saw the blackened pancake.

Damn, damn, _damn!_

...

* * *

 

Once they'd finished eating, Natsu grabbed their things and left, claiming that he'd forgotten something at home. Briefly, she wondered where Happy was, since the blue fish loving feline was usually at Natsu's side. But then she remembered that he, Charle and Pantherlily had gone on a trip to visit the Exceeds and would be back in a few days. She missed him a bit, but she was glad he wasn't there for this morning's events. He would have teased her relentlessly and she wouldn't have been able to hold back from pummeling him.

After making sure she had everything she needed, the Celestial Mage made her way to the train station. Since it was around 5:40 in the morning, the station looked very much abandoned of its usual hustle and bustle of life. The sky had not yet started to lighten with the coming dawn, so the lamps were still lit. She was greeted by the tired overnight workers and she smiled back, understanding their plight all too well. After going to the correct platform, she looked down to see if Levy or Gajeel had arrived. Even with the lacrima lamps it was still quite dark. So much so that she nearly missed them sitting just out of range of one of the lamps just a few benches from where she stood.

Gajeel was sitting with his arms crossed, Levy curled into his side. By the deep even breaths she took, Lucy could tell that the Solid Script Mage was asleep. Her head was laying on the Iron Dragon Slayer's shoulder with his jacket lain over her like a makeshift blanket to ward off the early morning chill.

It was cute how the moody man pretended that he wasn't head over heels for his favorite bookworm. But, she thought, it was about time he actually moved their relationship forward. His hesitation to actually commit to Levy irked her nerves. He did everything else; walked her everywhere, treated her to meals once in a while, scared off potential suitors, and Lucy knew she wasn't seeing things when Levy had come in one day sporting a new pair of simple iron studs in her ears. He was practically her boyfriend in everything except the actual title. It would be nice if he could actually _admit it_...

"Oi, Bunny Girl...Where's Pinky?"

She jumped a bit, Gajeel's lowered voice surprising her. When her mind refocused on her surroundings, she realized that Gajeel was actually looking at her, and her brain scrambled for a response. "He-He said he forgot something at home, so he's meeting us here."

Gajeel scoffed softly, more than likely so that he wouldn't wake up the small woman next to him. "Yeah well he better hurry up...If makes us miss the train I'll kick his ass."

"Whose ass are you gonna kick, pierced freak?"

They both turned at the voice of the Fire Dragon Slayer, who was suddenly standing behind Lucy with their bags, scowling at the older mage. Gajeel rolled his eyes and glared. "Obviously yours, pyro punk."

Surprisingly, Natsu chose not to respond and instead sat their bags down and went to Lucy's side, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Sorry Luce, were you waiting long?"

She shook her head and gave a small smile. "Not at all. I got here just a few minutes before you did. Did you find what you were looking for at home?"

He nodded and reached into the pocket of his waist coat and pulled out a small lacrima with a pair of petite headphones plugged into it. He put it in her hands and she looked up at him in confusion. "What's this?"

Instead of answering her, he tapped the small crystal and symbols appeared on it. He pressed the one closest the bottom and a small screen similar to Archive Magic appeared in the air before her, displaying a welcome message and a list of songs. She put two and two together and turned towards him in shock. "A music lacrima?"

He nodded and rubbed the back of his head, a small blush appearing on his cheeks. "Yeah, I meant to give it to you in time for your birthday, but the girls stole you away for that trip and I didn't get a chance to see you. I forgot about it and when I remembered the train ride I thought this would be a good time. Sorry its not wrapped, I never got around to it. So...Yeah, happy belated birthday."

She remembered that trip. The night before her birthday the girls had unexpectedly "kidnapped" her and took her to Crocus for 3 days to celebrate her birthday. They had fun, ate delicious food, and partied like there was no tomorrow. Cana even drunkenly signed them all up for a belly dancing class, and they had the time of their lives watching the drunkard try and fail at even the most basic steps. Its been two weeks since then and the fact that he'd just remembered to give her his gift, was unbelievable but at the same time, sweet. Turning off the device, she smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Thanks Natsu."

He grinned and hugged her closer to him. "You're welcome Lucy."

"Oh God, get a room. I'd rather not start vomiting _before_ I get on the train."

Natsu's head whipped toward Gajeel's, his happy expression gone and a fierce glare and scowl replacing it. "What was that _, rust bucket_?"

Gajeel frowned and bared his teeth. "I _said_ -"

The sound of a train entering the platform cut Gajeel off as it slowed to a screeching stop. Looking around, Lucy noticed that they were the only ones there, meaning that they could get good seats on the train. The train's arrival awoke Levy and she stretched, gently straightening out her hair. She spotted the blonde and pinkette and her mouth stretched into a tired grin. "Good morning you two."

They greeted her back and when she noticed the train, she dug into the pocket of her shorts and brought out their tickets. "We got here early so I got our tickets." She stood up, keeping Gajeel's coat around her to keep the warmth from escaping, and handed them their tickets.

Lucy sighed in relief and gratitude. "Thanks Levy, we were standing here talking and I'd forgotten all about getting tickets."

Natsu nodded and grinned. "Yeah Levy, you're a life saver."

The blue haired woman blushed and smiled. "Its no problem! I'm glad to help."

"You guys are paying her back."

All heads turned toward Gajeel who'd gotten up and picked up his and Levy's bags. Levy's face looked put out as she eyed him. "Gajeel, its fine. I don't mind, really."

"But I do, that's why I paid you back already. You shouldn't be so careless with your cash, Shrimp. We're all friends but we're all grown up enough to pull our own weight."

The blue haired woman rolled her eyes in amusement, and put her hands on her generous hips. "We all know that, Gajeel. And as a grown up, I get to decide what I want to do with my cash. Besides, even if I had _wanted_ them to pay me back, I know that they're good for it."

Natsu cut in this time, frowning. "Yeah metal face. Besides, I was already planning on it, right Lucy?"

Lucy nodded, and instead of feeling upset or offended she grinned. "Why Gajeel, I didn't know you were managing Levy's finances. You two must be pretty close, eh?"

The blonde waggled her eyebrows playfully while Levy and Gajeel blushed furiously, the blue haired mage stuttering as she tried to come up with a response. Lucy giggled and slipped the music lacrima in her pocket and picked up her bags. "I'm just kidding, now lets get on the train. They opened the doors for boarding."

Both Dragon Slayers turned green at the thought boarding the vehicle and reluctantly followed the two women who'd already started walking ahead. Gajeel turned to pick on his pink haired counterpart when he noticed that Natsu's eyes were glued to the blonde's form with an intensity that Gajeel was all too familiar with.

Softly scoffing, the noise was enough to snap the Fire Dragon Slayer out of it, and he walked passed him toward the train. When he did, Gajeel's nose twitched as it caught a familiar scent. He followed behind Natsu and glared at the back of his pink head. He wouldn't confront him right now, but when he had the chance, they _would_ be having a talk.

That was for damn sure.

...

* * *

 

Looks like Natsu's acting a bit weird, and either Lucy's going crazy or he's messing with her head on purpose. Remember to leave me a review and tell me what you think! Thank you all for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

 

_Summary:_

_When Levy invites Lucy and Natsu on a mission to translate wall carvings from an ancient temple, they accidentally invoke the "Trials by Nature", a series of tests that an ancient tribe used as a way to initiate members into adult hood. They must conquer the twelve basic animal instincts, while trying to reign in the feelings that the trials invoke in them._

...

* * *

Gajeel learned very early in his existence that life sucked big, hairy, sweaty balls.

He also learned that in order to avoid those balls, that sometimes when bad things happened it was best to think about something else so that it didn't tear you down completely. He'd done it when he was picked on for being an orphan, when he failed in training, when Metalicana left...

Even when he beat up a blue haired girl and pinned her and her friends to a tree.

Shaking his head to clear away his moody thoughts, the Iron Dragon Slayer was brought back to his current surroundings. They'd been riding the train for 7 hours now, and the blonde Celestial Mage and the blue haired Solid Script Mage were finally asleep. Surprisingly, despite being extremely tired when they'd boarded the train, they stayed up for hours after, chatting excitedly and even doing a bit more research for their current mission. Gajeel hardly paid attention to that part, since his job would be the heavy lifting. He wasn't one to listen to girl talk, but the bookworm who was currently curled against his side was delighted to speak to her best friend to pass the time. She sounded happy so that was all that mattered to him, and...

He decided that he very much liked the sound of her voice. It warmed him in ways that nothing ever had before she came along.

And now that he didn't have her voice to distract him, he was trying very hard not to think about his motion sickness so that he could interrogate his fellow Dragon Slayer, whose arms were firmly wrapped around Blondie's hips as he laid in her lap. It wasn't strange for him to do this. In fact it was a regular occurrence whenever he had no choice but to ride the train since the pink haired man didn't favor being knocked out by Erza.

But this time, Pinky had some explaining to do.

He pretended to sleep, evening out his breathing and slowing his heart rate through years of practice in order to fool the pink haired man's ears. His eyes were opened just enough to see, and he was glad that Natsu's head was turned into Lucy's stomach. He waited a while, almost an hour before he finally saw the Fire Dragon Slayer move.

...

* * *

 

Natsu decided that there, right in his blonde's lap was pure paradise.

Her hand was currently still in his hair, having stopped their soothing stroking motion a while ago. But that was okay. Just being able to lay his head on her thighs was enough. Her scent calmed his naturally energetic disposition. Even when he'd first met her, her scent had drawn him in and prompted him to bring her to his home. Once there, she'd become a core member of their family and saved his ass countless times. Recently though, her scent made his blood boil in dangerous ways.

Ways that he very much liked.

Natsu wasn't stupid. He knew what lust was and despite what everyone thought, he was no stranger to sexual thoughts either. He'd had his own fair share of fantasies, some even involving some of the girls in his guild when he'd first hit puberty, but that ended a long time ago. Now they'd become extremely dangerous and he learned to view them as sisters to avoid possibly being castrated. There was no question that Fairy Tail had beautiful women. That and their habit of wearing skimpy clothes was something that benefited him and the rest of the male members of the rowdy guild for years.

Because what was a little skin-ship between family?

He'd even seen Lucy a number of times nude, mostly accidentally since the buxom blonde seemed to always have her clothes torn or destroyed in some manner. But there were times when playing dumb came to his advantage. That or pretending not to care about how her soft, creamy flesh was just barely covered in a short towel while she scolded him for once again breaking into her apartment.

Yeah right. _Her_ apartment. That was funny.

It hadn't been just _her_ apartment for a long time. Aside from the occasional visit back to his house, they were practically living together. His and Happy's stuff was everywhere; clothes, shoes, mementos, hell he even had a _toothbrush_ there. She didn't favor a lot of spicy food but she always bought a lot of hot sauce whenever she went shopping, because she knew he had dinner at her place often. Same with Happy. Her fridge was always stocked with Tilapia, Salmon, and if the flying feline had been good, maybe even Sea Bass or Catfish. And if he was extra good she'd reward him with Yellow Fin Tuna. He was already a normal part of her everyday life at the guild and even at home.

And he liked it that way.

He liked being a core part of her life, and lately, that was all he could think about. He liked the thought of coming back from a job and she would be there to welcome him back, or they would even come back together, celebrating their success. He was always beside her, and he made sure that his presence was something she never forgot. His scent was all over the place, and when it mixed with hers, it gave him enormous satisfaction. And lately, she's developed this little habit of wearing his clothes. She claimed that if it was taking up space in her house, she had a right to use it. It was more like if she was too lazy to do laundry it was free pickings.

Not that he minded one bit.

Seeing her this morning in his shirt while she cooked him breakfast was one of the most erotic things he'd ever seen. It filled him with some weird sense of pride and possessiveness he'd never felt before. He couldn't resist messing with her, and seeing her blush satisfied him in ways that weren't appropriate. He liked that she thought he was clueless about intimacy. It made it easier to cuddle up to her in bed without too much retaliation afterward. That morning, she didn't even give him a lecture about it. He could tell that she accepted that he would always crawl into her bed like he belonged there, and if he had his way, he would be the _only_ one in her bed. The thought of someone else being so close to her when she was the most vulnerable never sat right with him. He didn't trust other men to treat her the way she should be treated, and if they thought so they had to answer to him first.

He buried his face into her stomach and let a rumbling purr tumble out of his lips. She smelled so good today, not that she ever didn't. She always smelled good, like Lavender and the unique scent of the Stars, obviously a result of her magic. But recently her scent seemed to enhance somehow. It made his blood surge with excitement, awakening a part of himself that he'd only ever felt when he was in an amazing battle. She wasn't using perfume, she'd stopped when he commented on how it hurt his nose. It just...

He took a deep breath through his nose and held it in, letting the scent rest on his tongue as his mouth watered. Sweet Mavis, he can _taste_ her...

He allowed himself to nuzzle her belly, another purr escaping his throat. She smelled phenomenal, but he loved it even more when she smelled like him. Calling upon his magic, he rose the temperature of his body and began rubbing his face into the bare skin of her thighs. In a sense, he was branding his scent into her skin using the heat. He didn't know how he knew it would work, and just chalked it up to him being awesome. Soon enough, he stopped thinking and just acted, while still making sure not to wake her up.

"You're not as stupid as people think you are."

He froze, and slowly turned his head toward the seat across from him, where the Iron Dragon Slayer was watching him closely, a scowl on his face.

Despite being caught red handed, he glared back at him, irritated that he'd been interrupted. "I don't know what you're talking about, _screws for brains_. I'm always smart."

Gajeel rolled his eyes, immediately catching on to his act. "Save it. I'm not stupid either, Salamander. Apparently, since you can't seem to control yourself, you and I need to have a little talk."

"I don't need to talk to _you_."

The Iron Dragon Slayer's eye twitched in irritation and he counted backwards in his head to prevent himself from decking Natsu in the face. Once the urge to do bodily harm passed, he focused back on him. "Yeah, you do. You do because you're Scent Marking Blondie, and by the confused look on your face, it doesn't look like you even have a clue what that is."

Natsu frowned and glanced away from Gajeel and toward Lucy's knee, which he idly began rubbing with his thumb. "I don't care what it is. Leave me alone. I'm not doing anything wrong."

"Then why did you go to Wendy this morning?"

The rubbing stopped immediately and Gajeel heard him swear an oath under his breath. He knew then that he had him cornered. When Natsu tried to come up with an excuse, he cut him off.

"Don't try to bullshit me. She cast Troia on you before you came to the station. I can still smell the magic lingering on you, and you neglected to tell Bunny Girl that you were just fine. Face it, you've got it so bad that you'd go through the trouble to fake being motion sick just to be in her lap."

When Natsu didn't deny any of what Gajeel said, he frowned to himself. He was such a _fool._ "You're letting your instincts get in the way of your brain, not that there's much brain there to use. I'm not gonna lie, its a real bitch. When they take over, a whole new side of yourself makes itself known, _the Dragon_. It doesn't care what anyone else thinks, it only wants to be satisfied. Be careful Salamander, if you don't control yourself bad things will happen. It doesn't just effect you. When you Scent Mark a woman it means you're trying to scare other men off of her."

Natsu frowned in confusion. "What's wrong with doing that? At least she won't have sleazy guys leering at her anymore. It makes her uncomfortable."

Gajeel ran a hand down his face in exasperation. It was already starting. He was making up excuses for his actions, and justifying them. He doesn't understand that he's trying to hoard Lucy for himself. Dragons are extremely possessive, and when they see something they like, they take it and hoard it. It didn't matter what it was; Food, alcohol, treasure, a female...

"You're not getting it. What you're doing is isolating her from others to keep her to yourself. Dragons do that, and we were raised by dragons and have their magic. We share their traits, and that's something we have to control. They are notoriously stingy creatures and hate to share anything, even if its their, "friend's", presence with someone else. Just me being here annoys the shit out of you."

Natsu glared at him. "You always annoy the shit out of me."

Gajeel rolled his eyes and grit his teeth. He obviously wasn't going to get it unless he took drastic measures. It was dangerous, but he knew that it had to be done in order to finally get him to see exactly what he was doing.

He took a deep breath, sighed heavily, and reached a hand out, grazing his fingers across Lucy's knee.

Immediately, his hand was swatted away with Natsu's own heated hand, teeth bared and a low growl emanating from him. He had no doubt that if Natsu wasn't so determined to stay in his spot in the blonde's lap, that he would have tried to bite his hand. He knew exactly what that heated swipe meant.

It was a warning.

Gajeel scoffed and pointed at him from a safer distance as to not provoke the seething Dragon Slayer any further. He didn't want this talk to turn into a fight that would wake the girls. "That's _exactly_ what I'm talking about. You can't control yourself, and since Igneel obviously didn't get a chance to tell you about this, it looks like I'm gonna have to. You need to shut up and take the fucking advice, because if you don't Bunny Girl could get hurt."

He saw Natsu's pupils thin until they resembled a reptile's eyes. "I would _never_ hurt Lucy."

There it was again, and judging by how easy it was to piss him off for real and not like their "friendly" brawls at the guild, this had been going on for a while now. He didn't know how much time they spent together outside of the guild, but he should have known what was happening when Pinky was nearly desperate for he and Lucy to take a mission together. Especially since Happy wouldn't be there with them...

"Not intentionally, but what you're doing is gonna backfire on you." He was about to be a total asshole, but at least he would get through to him. "What if you drive her away?"

Natsu's eyes returned to normal instantly, but he said nothing and decided instead to turn his face back into Lucy's belly, no longer willing to talk.

But that was fine. Gajeel knew that he'd gotten through to him, and that he would think about what he said. He'd watch him of course, to kick his ass back onto track whenever he strayed.

Hearing a soft sigh from his side, he glanced over to see Levy shift a bit closer to his warmth. His face relaxed, and after looking to see if Natsu was paying attention to him, leaned in close and gently nuzzled his face into her blue hair, taking in her scent of Citrus and Orchids. A small smile appeared on her face, and he could feel his own lips turn up slightly at the corners. Brushing aside some of the silky hair, he noticed she was wearing the earrings he made for her. She was still bundled up in his coat, not having taken it off since he gave it to her. Taking a small whiff, he could smell that she was being covered in his scent.

Turning away from her and toward the window, he scowled at the slight reflection of himself.

_Control?_ Yeah right.

He was such a fucking _hypocrite._

...

* * *

Finally, over a day later, the tired mages reached their destination. It was nearly 6 A.M., and after sleeping on the train they were happy to finally be on solid land again.

To Gajeel's amusement and great satisfaction, the Troia spell had worn off of Natsu just a few hours after their "talk", making the stubborn Dragon Slayer twice as sick as he usually got. Karma was a huge bitch, and she'd sat her fat ass right on Natsu's happiness.

Hoo-fuckin'- _ray._

Since they weren't able to check into an Inn due to how far away the temple was, they had to drag their stuff with them to get food, and to meet the client. That was fun.

_Not._

At the moment they were sitting in the client's living room, who happened to be the mayor, and their town's historian. The mayor was a tall robust man, with deeply tanned skin, long white hair tied into a low pony tail, and dressed in some kind of ceremonial robes. He reminded him a lot of Elfman Strauss, the second eldest of the Takeover Siblings.

The historian was his exact opposite. Pale with short brown hair, round frames and dressed in a suit. He was barely taller than Makarov, and not nearly as confident, with how his gaze barely strayed from the hand woven rug they were standing on. The mayor spoke first, his deep tenor voice easily capturing every occupant in the room's attention.

"Thank you, Ms. McGarden for heeding our request. We have tried in the past to hire mages to translate these ruins, but they were at a loss since there wasn't much information to use as a reference. Your reputation and prowess has been heard far and wide, and we were eager to recruit you for the task."

Levy blushed, an embarrassed flush making her face red. "T-Thank you very much sir. We won't let you down."

A booming laugh escaped the large man, and both women jumped slightly in surprise. "No need to be so shy, Ms. McGarden. I have faith that you and your comrades will succeed. Fairy Tail's track record is extremely impressive, though I do hope that nothing will needlessly be destroyed..." He said, quickly glancing over the two Dragon Slayers before returning his attention to Levy.

Lucy eyed one Dragon Slayer in particular and gave him a warning glance. Catching on to her unspoken threat he sheepishly grinned, letting her know that he got the message and that he would be on his best behavior. With a small nod she turned her attention back to their clients, noticing that she'd missed the small historian place two maps on the small coffee table in front of them.

"These are the maps you will need to navigate the jungle and the temple." He said, his monotone voice slightly echoing in the large office. "Please be aware of the Dire Wolf population, as they are not shy around humans and have been known to attack."

Natsu grinned and slightly puffed out his chest. "You don't have to worry about that. Me and iron breath would smell them a mile away."

Gajeel scoffed but didn't deny what he said, opting to just keep his mouth shut now and kick his ass later when he least expected it. His maniacal glee at the thought of inflicting violence on his fellow Dragon Slayer made his mouth stretch into a scary grin.

" _Gihi_."

The historian paled, having noticed Gajeel's grin and cleared his throat to dissipate the tension. "Yes, well, just letting you know in case you encountered them. The carvings are located in the central chamber of the temple. The entirety of the temple has been searched but there have been no other carvings found except for that place."

He sighed and rubbed the back of his head, his expression pensive. "Its such a shame that there weren't any written records or anything else to help with the research. This culture is so old, that not even Archive Magic has enough information available, but the mayor and I have faith in your linguistic skills, Ms. McGarden. We are hoping to add the translated findings into our museum..."

The blue haired woman blushed again but this time she smiled, happy and full of confidence. "We'll get it done. Fairy Tail doesn't give up."

The shorter man gave a small smile and bowed his head.

"And for that, Ms. McGarden, we are very greatful."

...

* * *

After the meeting, the mayor had graciously treated them to a big lunch and dinner, and rooms for the night, after seeing the effects of the long trip. Much to Natsu's displeasure, he was forced to room with Gajeel, and the Iron Dragon Slayer made sure that he wouldn't sneak off to the girls' room to climb into bed with Lucy, or accidentally see Levy in her night clothes.

In the early morning around 6 A.M. they got ready to depart. The mayor, taking pity on them even allowed them to use two of his feline steeds, stating that it would take a day and a half on foot instead of just a few hours of riding. After getting dressed, the two girls made their way to the stables with their bags. An assistant was waiting for them, and led them inside to the awaiting big cats.

"Here they are! Once you reach the temple they will come back on their own."

Both girls stared up at the massive cats with trepidation, and the assistant chuckled. "Don't worry, they look mean but they are actually very nice."

As if they were agreeing with what the assistant said, both tawny and spotted coated cats stepped forward and began to shower them with affection, with nearly deafening purrs emanating from their large forms and filling the small building.

And that was how Gajeel and Natsu found them when they walked into the stable. Both mages were cooing over the steeds that were curled around them, Levy even going so far as to plant a kiss between one's eyes, and Lucy was massaging the other cat's ears.

Well now, this needed to be corrected.

Natsu's eyebrow twitched, and then he grinned, seemingly content. "Hey Lucy! Hey Levy! Good morning!"

The Celestial Mage's attention immediately shifted to him, and she smiled. "Good morning Natsu, good morning Gajeel."

The bluenette looked up from the big cat in her grasp and smiled as well. "Good morning guys! Did you sleep well?"

Natsu answered for Gajeel as he made his way to Lucy's side. "Yeah, but I'm ready to go. Lets get this mission over with."

Gajeel had already made his way to Levy's side and began strapping their bags to the feline steed's saddle. "Its better we leave now before it starts getting hot."

"Yeah, iron ass is right."

" _Oi_ -"

"Say, why don't you two go fill up the canteens with water from the kitchen? Take metal breath with you so that you don't get lost coming back. I'll finish saddling up the kitties here and bring them out."

Ignoring the feline snarls he got in response to his statement, he continued grinning. The two girls shrugged, grabbed the empty canteens and made their way out of the stable. But not before giving the steed's a little more affection, which was received with rumbling purrs. Gajeel reluctantly followed behind them, but stopped at the door and glanced back at him, eyes narrowed before moving on.

Natsu waved them out, the assistant having already left a few minutes prior. This left the Dragon Slayer alone with the felines and once he was sure no one was around he turned his attention to them.

His eyes flashed, and the big cats whimpered and began to back away from him. Natsu quickly grabbed their reigns and pulled them back to him. His happy grin immediately gave way to a menacing one as his pupils thinned and began glowing a bright red. The sun had not completely risen, and the remaining darkness made him appear even more menacing. He brought his face closer to theirs as steam began to billow from his mouth.

"Lets have a talk, shall we?"

...

* * *

 

When the three mages returned, Natsu and the cats were outside but their behavior was drastically different than when they left them. The beasts' heads were down and they seemed tense. When Lucy tried to cheer them up, they immediately turned away. She was disappointed, but Natsu came over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Don't let it get to you Lucy, cats can get moody really fast. Even Happy isn't always happy."

The blonde sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

He pulled her closer to him and rested his temple against hers. "Like I said, I'm always right. Now lets hurry up and go." He picked her up, and helped her onto the steed's back. When the animal chanced a look at the blonde, Natsu gave it a warning glance. It flinched and immediately looked back to the ground. He grinned to himself and then mounted it as well, sitting in front of Lucy as her arms came around his abdomen to keep herself steady. He sighed contently and grinned back at her, prompting her to smile back at him.

Gajeel was helping Levy onto the other cat when he noticed the drastic behavior change Natsu's beast had toward Lucy, and saw his and Levy's have the same reaction to the blue haired mage. He glanced at Natsu in time to see the glare he sent the animal and its frightened flinch. His own eyes narrowed in suspicion. He was reluctant to leave when Natsu suggested they leave the packing to him. He was _never_ that gracious. But, he figured the Dragon Slayer would remember the talk they'd had on the train and behave himself. If what he suspected was true, it seemed that he was wrong to think that things would be settled that easily. It also seemed he and the Fire Dragon Slayer would need to have another _, more convincing_ talk.

Well fuck.

Looks like he couldn't avoid those balls this time.

...

* * *

 

Hey guys! Sorry this update took so long. I wanted to make it a little longer than my other chapters. I hope you like it! Thank you for your continued support and lovely comments! Don't forget to review!

For those who may be confused, Gray and Juvia rode a feline steed in the Tartarus Arc. Thanks for reading! There's more to come!


	5. Chapter 5

 

_Summary:_

_When Levy invites Lucy and Natsu on a mission to translate wall carvings from an ancient temple, they accidentally invoke the "Trials by Nature", a series of tests that an ancient tribe used as a way to initiate members into adult hood. They must conquer the twelve basic animal instincts, while trying to reign in the feelings that the trials invoke in them._

...

* * *

Why.

Why must the sun be so _hot?_

When they'd departed the mayor's house into the jungle, everything was fine. The morning was naturally cool so they were off to a good start.

But then the sun rose and promptly fucked them over _good and proper._

The heat rose quickly, turning a pleasant morning into a torturous nightmare. The morning swiftly gave way to the afternoon, where the temperature rose from "simmering" to "I'm slowly roasting in my own juices."

Gajeel had already put his hair into a pony tail, but his penchant for wearing dark clothing had clearly worked against him if the river of sweat he kept wiping from his forehead was any clue. The tiny woman pressed against his back was putting up a brave front, but was clearly suffering. Though her hair was nowhere near the length of Gajeel's, its blue color drew in enough heat that Levy's usual curls and bangs had to be tied up into her scarf to give her neck and shoulders some air.

The heat had made whatever hair that managed to escape the light fabric to droop down and press against her face and neck, damp with perspiration. She was also flushed, her face, neck, shoulders and any exposed skin turning a pinkish red. It was so hot in fact, that Levy's attempt to cool them off with her Solid Script magic had failed spectacularly. Her attempt at making "Ice" or "Cool" or any other similar word that would relieve them of the heat were swiftly defeated by the sun, and dashed any hope they had to defy the sun's will.

It'd enraged the tiny mage enough that she actually growled, lifted her hand to the fiery death ball in the sky and gave it a strong middle finger. They'd certainly had a good laugh at that, making Levy hide her face into a cackling Gajeel's back in embarrassment. The blonde mage very much pitied Levy and while she understood her frustration, Lucy herself was no better.

Her lighter colored hair did nothing to save her from the harshness of the heat since it was so long. Her skin was also in the same boat as Levy's, and their outfit of shorts and a tank top didn't seem to help as much as they originally thought it would. To make matters worse, she had no choice but to cling to Natsu's back as they rode through the humid jungle. The downfall being that he was the Fire Dragon Slayer. Fire. As in HEAT. As if it wasn't enough that the sun was trying its best to reduce her to a puddle, his abnormally high body heat was also joining the effort.

Damn the sun and all its fiery power straight to the hell it more than likely came from.

And damn Natsu Dragneel, because where it seemed everyone else was suffering, he was _thriving_. The heat didn't seem to effect him at all. His hair was still in its same spiked mess as it usually was and not at all matted down with any visible sweat. His jacket and waistcoat were still on and zipped up, and...Son of a _bitch_. Was that a grin on his face?

Lucy moved a bit to get a better look and discovered that yes, Natsu Dragneel was indeed grinning. His pearly white fanged teeth were glistening in the sun's hellish rays, and the corners of his mouth were turned upwards.

Smug bastard...

"Enjoying yourself, Natsu?" The blonde said through clenched teeth. Her expression was murderous, and her eyebrow was twitching irritably at his joy. She had to find a way to rain on his parade. If they had to suffer, then he had to as well. It didn't matter if it was immature, it was hot as hell and they were grumpy. Maturity had no business being here. In fact, it was on vacation.

_At a Ski Resort._

The pinkette turned his head toward her for a moment before turning back to the view in front of him. Despite all of his other reckless behavior, he was surprisingly a very serious driver.

Most of the time.

There was that one time he'd actually turned all the way around in front of her while they were riding a boar steed in order to talk to her, and how they managed to survive she didn't know, but she knew not to question it. She was happy to count her blessings when it came to surviving the impossible.

She was brought out of her musings when she'd realized that his mouth was moving. She shook her head to clear her previous thoughts and focused on him. "Sorry Natsu, what did you say?"

She saw him roll his eyes slightly in amusement at her expense and his grin widened enough that she could see it without him being turned completely toward her. "Sheesh Lucy, at least pay attention when I answer a question that _you_ asked. Weirdo."

She ground her teeth and took a few deep breaths. Why that _little..._

"Just repeat what you said. Its too damn hot for an argument, and so help me Natsu if I have put up with any of your shenanigans here or in the very near future on this mission, I'll make sure your stupidity doesn't get passed onto your children."

Lucy was filled with satisfaction when she felt a shiver go down his spine. This time when he turned to her, his face was in a pout, his bottom lip slightly jutting out.

"Come on Luce, don't say that. I actually want kids, and at least you'll be around to make sure they aren't dumb."

Before anyone could begin to interpret what he meant by that statement, both big cats slid to a stop. Both women yelped, and were forced to cling tighter to their respective Dragon Slayers to avoid flying out of their seat. Once the danger of falling off of their steeds passed, Gajeel and Natsu looked around. The beasts seemed to be restless, and being raised by dragons taught them not to ignore any warning signs they may come across. More often than not it made the difference between death and survival.

And they intended to be on the side of survival.

Their noses began quickly scenting the air, their mouths slightly open like a reptile's to aid them in finding whatever spooked the fierce cats. Levy and Lucy looked around as well, Spirit Keys, whip and Solid Script Magic fully prepared for whatever they might have to face.

Natsu and Gajeel's eyes both snapped open at the same time, and they shared a look. "You smellin' what I'm smellin' Salamander?" He said, his voice surprisingly soft for the gruff man.

Natsu nodded gently, his eyes searching for their target. "Must be on the edge of their territory. Their smell is everywhere, but its old. They must be coming to give it another coat to keep a rival pack at bay." The Fire Dragon Slayer's voice was also soft, barely above a murmur, but he knew that Gajeel could hear him loud and clear.

Gajeel clicked his tongue lightly in annoyance. This was just fuckin' _dandy._ He chanced a look at Levy, whose expression was scrunched in concentration. She was determined not to be caught off guard. Blondie was the same, a key in one hand and her whip in the other. He glanced at Natsu and saw him glance back at him from the corner of his eye. "Think we can avoid a fight?"

The Fire Dragon Slayer shook his head lightly and grinned. "Nah, too late for that. We're being watched."

Gajeel clenched his teeth and glanced around him, and that's where he spotted them. Just on the edge of his enhanced vision, were a bunch of eyes watching them.

Shit.

A tiny tug on the back of his green tank top diverted his attention from their stalkers to the blue haired mage clinging to him. "Yeah Shrimp?"

Her early expression of determination had fallen away to reveal uncertainty and fear. He guessed that since she was so close that she heard him speaking, same as Lucy since she in turn was also speaking lowly to Natsu. She sighed and he saw some of her confidence return to her eyes. "Its the wolves, isn't it. They've found us."

Gajeel grunted, answering her question and displaying his annoyance of their situation all at the same time. "Yeah. Been watching us a while too. Surprised they haven't attacked yet-"

Apparently, he'd spoken too soon.

Surprisingly, a pup ran forward. It looked to be under a year old, still way too young for it to be doing border control with the rest of its kin. The bigger adults did nothing to stop it, and Gajeel decided not to do anything lest they do attack since the pup was so close. Within the span of a minute, the pup was nearly upon them, and didn't seem to be slowing down. The beasts made no move, quietly staying put despite the danger they themselves sensed. He followed the wolf with his eyes, but Gajeel realized its target too late before it was jumping through the air at the Solid Script Mage clinging to him.

...

* * *

To say Levy was surprised to suddenly have her arms full of squirming puppy was a vast understatement. She was lucky that she had great reflexes, otherwise the, she took a moment to think, approximately 35 pound bundle of fluffy brownish white fur and paws would have knocked her off of her seat on the steed's back. She suddenly felt something warm, wet, and slightly rough swipe against her chin and she looked down just in time to get another lick to her cheek. She giggled as the happy onslaught continued, and she ruffled the excited puppy's ears. "You're so adorable!"

Her response was a bunch of excited yipping noises and snuggles. Gajeel on the other hand didn't share their excitement. As much as he was glad that the animal didn't mean Levy any harm, he would _very_ much appreciate it if the damn thing would stop pummeling the back of his head with its tail.

Lucy giggled, her expression full of mirth at Gajeel's predicament, which turned into a full laugh when she caught him glaring at her. Natsu himself was grinning as well, clearly mocking the Iron Dragon Slayer.

Gajeel grumbled, cursing both the blonde and pinkette to hell before he suddenly felt his head being tugged backward. "What the-"

A muffled growl cut him off, and the tugging became even more insistent. It didn't take long for him to realize exactly what was happening.

Oh.

Oh no.

Oh _HELL_ no.

Did that little mutt actually take hold of his pony tail like it was a damn _chew toy?_ The laughter increased in volume, and he didn't have to look to see that Levy too had joined in, though it was more subdued and nervous like she was trying to hold it back. His eyebrow twitched in annoyance, and with his patience nearly gone, he reached an arm back and grabbed the unruly pup's scruff, bringing him face to face with the very annoyed Dragon Slayer.

"Lets get one thing straight, _Fido_. You do _not_ touch the hair. Do I make myself clear?"

Despite his warning, the puppy didn't seem to be bothered at all by his rough treatment, or care for that matter. Its happy grin remained in place with its tongue lolling out of its mouth. It was panting, no doubt out of breath from its play with Levy and his fight to tear off Gajeel's pony tail. Gajeel frowned even more and brought the pup even closer. "Oi, do you even understand what I'm saying to you?"

Its head tilted to the side curiously, before unexpectedly sweeping its tongue across the bridge of Gajeel's nose.

Everyone froze then, unable to decipher just how the Iron Dragon Slayer would react. Gajeel's eyes were wide, his expression incredulous. A few tense moments passed before his face relaxed and a harsh sigh escaped his lips. "You're lucky you don't have any sense, mutt."

The puppy yipped and gave his Gajeel's face a few more licks before he could bring him out of range. "Yuck."

He placed the pup onto the ground and it shot off toward the still giggling Celestial Mage before giving her the same treatment it'd given Levy and himself. Surprisingly, Gajeel noticed, Natsu didn't make any move to scare the animal into submission like he'd done their steeds. In fact, he seemed to welcome the pup's play and actively participated in it. The Dragon Slayer reasoned that it was because it was practically a baby. He'd heard stories of how Natsu had raised Happy since he was hatched and those same nurturing feelings were more than likely coming into play.

In the span of 5 minutes, they'd all been visited by the energetic puppy before a low bark caught their attention. When Gajeel looked around, he noticed that they'd been distracted enough for the wolf pack to get extremely close. They were now at least a hundred feet away. The pup's bark caught his attention and he saw it run toward its family, greeting them enthusiastically with licks and tail wags. Seeing the puppy standing next to its elder kin, they all noticed something off.

These wolves were _huge._

When he'd mentioned to Levy that there were Dire Wolves in the area, he hadn't meant that he'd seen them personally, only heard the reports. But seeing them now, in person, definitely didn't sit well with Gajeel. They were nearly as big as the steeds they were riding, and just as heavily set. One of them came forward, a female and possibly the puppy's mother if his following her was any clue.

Gajeel made sure to watch the large animal closely. This wasn't a puppy, this is was a fully grown vicious wolf with canines bigger than his thumb. It circled them, giving a few sniffs as it went. Strangely, it took a moment to gently brush its snout along both steed's necks before continuing on. When it seemed to have completed its investigation of them it gave a short howl before completely leaving, the pack following behind her and brazenly walking through or around the stunned mages. A few seemed to greet their steeds and even them, leaving little nuzzles and licks on the way before completely disappearing.

It was silent for a few moments, simply because no one could think of anything to say about what they just experienced. It wasn't until both steeds shifted their paws impatiently to get moving that they were snapped out of whatever trance the strange incident had pulled them into.

"...What the hell just happened?"

All heads turned toward Natsu as he stared after the path the pack took. Gajeel shook his head and ran his hand down his face in exhaustion. "I don't know, and I'm not gonna hurt my brain trying to figure out why an entire pack of wolves just went by without trying to tear our throats out."

Deciding not to take advantage of his fellow Dragon Slayer's own words to pick at him, he decided that they needed to move on. Grabbing the reigns, he gave a small tug and the large cat continued on, Gajeel and Levy's own cat catching up beside them.

...

* * *

They'd finally reached the temple at dusk, taking in the medium sized building as it stood in the middle of the small abandoned village of adobe bricked homes. After the strange encounter with the wolves, they had more with other animals. It seemed that the animals in the area were extremely friendly and weren't afraid to approach humans. All sorts of creatures like boars, lizards, a few deer, and even birds flocked to them as they made their way through the jungle. While they were glad that they more than likely wouldn't be attacked by anything from the animal kingdom, it became a bit daunting.

Gajeel was especially annoyed when a few parrots decided that his shaggy mane of hair would make the perfect nest. No matter how many times he tried to scare them off they kept coming back before finally taking the hint and leaving. Levy had taken pity on the angry Dragon Slayer and took it upon herself to remove the copious amounts of feathers that the avian creatures left in their wake, before he tore his hair out in frustration. Luckily, there was _only_ feathers in his hair and not, well, bird crap.

Their steeds had already departed for home, leaving them to their own devices. After they left, Gajeel and Natsu went inside the temple to make sure there wasn't anything taking residency within it. They explored up a third of the inside before they could go no further, the wall having caved in and blocked the entrance to anything else. Searching the map, they'd come to realize that one of the rooms being blocked was the room with the carvings, so they had no choice but to clear it. Deciding to put it off for the next day, they came back and reported their findings to Levy and Lucy. After agreeing to start work the next day, they began to make make camp for the night.

Luckily for them, not far from the temple was a waterfall flowing into a *cenote. There was even a staircase carved from the actual wall that led from the top of the enormous sinkhole down to a walkway that circled the entire thing. This was no doubt where the ancient race procured their water from, and looks to have been undisturbed for centuries. A quick investigation revealed that the water was clean and safe enough to drink from, and even to bathe in, since there was no sign of any water predators like sharks or eels. After a decent dinner of fresh fish courtesy of their newly found source of water, Lucy and Levy decided to bathe, leaving the men to clean up after dinner and some downtime of their own.

As Levy sank into the water beside Lucy, she shivered, covering her small frame with her arms. The blonde mage noticed and gave a small smile in sympathy. "Well Levy, there had to be one downfall to this place right?"

The bluenette sighed and gradually her arms fell away as she became used to the water's frigid temperature. "Yeah, I guess I can live with it since its such a magnificent find. What's a little cold water right?"

Lucy's eyes widened a little before she bit her lip and looked down at the clear water below her, suddenly nervous. They were seated on steps that led directly to the water, more than likely to another walkway that had been submerged by rising water. As she watched a few fish swim by her, she made a decision and looked at the blue haired woman next to her. "Levy?"

Levy looked up at her, having been paying attention to the fish as well. "Yes Lu-chan? What is it?"

Lucy worried her bottom lip with her teeth more, and then took a deep breath to steel her frazzled nerves. She let out that breath and turned to Levy. "If I show you something, will you promise to keep it a secret?"

The bluenette became worried then. Her blonde friend looked troubled and she decided that whatever Lucy had to show her, she would honor her by keeping it to herself. If it was serious enough that Lucy didn't want it to be known, then she wanted to know. Not because it was potential gossip, but because it was her duty as her friend. She nodded to her and gave her a smile, trying to ease Lucy's nerves. "Of course Lu-chan. You can always trust me to keep a secret."

Lucy returned her smile and gave a huge sigh, then closed her eyes and bowed her head in concentration. She reached deep within herself to the magic that was waiting to be used. It rose to meet her and filled her being, making a content sigh to slip from her lips. Once she was ready, she opened her eyes and directed the magic toward her hands. She willed the water to heat, and a small smile came to her face when it warmed enough to boil slightly.

The blue haired mage beside her was alarmed at the rapidly heating water, before realizing that Lucy was responsible for it. "L-Lu-chan! How are you doing that?"

Lucy smiled even more and willed the water to twist and bed into lazy shapes around them. After seeing the look of awe on Levy's face, she concentrated again and made tiny water droplets raise into the air and float. The moonlight made them glitter like the stars above them, and coupled with the various flora and the mist from the waterfall, it truly became a magical place.

Both girls smiled at the sight, before Lucy reluctantly let the drops fall over them in a temporary shower. She heard Levy squeal in surprise and giggled. After the bluenette recovered from being suddenly rained on, she turned to Lucy with her eyes sparkling.

"Lu-chan! I didn't know you could use Water Magic! How come you didn't tell me before?" She said, her face pouting slightly in disappointment. Lucy sighed and tucked a wet lock of hair behind her ear before turning back to Levy. "It was supposed to be a surprise. Juvia helped me train and even taught me some of her spells in secret. I wanted to surprise the team while we were out on missions but..."

Levy wondered what she meant for a moment before recalling the conversation she and Natsu had before the departed for this trip. She smiled ruefully. "Natsu, right?"

Lucy nodded and scooped a bit of water in her hands, letting it slowly slip between her fingers. "I can't even get a chance to prove myself with him stealing my thunder. I know he wants to protect me, and I know it comes from a good place, but it hurts to think that he doesn't believe I can defend myself..."

Levy understood completely. It was an issue that she herself goes through all the time. It was bad enough when Jet and Droy did it, but now that Gajeel insisted on being her shadow, it made her feel pathetic and weak. Her self confidence had taken a huge blow, and it caused her to second guess herself more often than not nowadays. She truly sympathized with Lucy on that aspect, but there was one thing that had been bugging her.

"Lu-chan...How did you learn Water Magic? You only said that Juvia helped you train..."

The blonde bowed her head again, her eyes completely out of Levy's view. A few minutes passed, and just when Levy thought she would never answer her, Lucy's hand came up and clutched the seashell locket hanging from her neck. She then took the locket off and put it into Levy's hand. "Open it."

Levy paused for a moment in confusion before nodding, and gently opened the locket's lid. When she saw the remains of Aquarius's key, her other hand shot to her mouth in shock, before turning to Lucy for an explanation. "This is..."

"You know, she told me she hated me right before it happened, and that she was glad that she wouldn't be able to see me again...But I know her. I know that she loves me...She said that they were too strong, even after I'd summoned 3 Zodiac Spirits and nearly killing myself to do so, it wasn't enough..."

"Lucy..."

The Celestial Mage was trembling now, her head clutched in her hands and ducked even lower as though she was ashamed. Her voice trembled as she spoke. "If I had been stronger, wiser, or even done something different I don't know...Maybe she wouldn't have had to sacrifice her key for me to summon the Celestial Spirit King..."

"Lucy _please_ -"

"She said that it wouldn't work with just any key, that it had to be someone that I trusted...She was my first friend, and because I was weak, I'll never get to see her again!"

Levy was stunned. She'd had no idea what her best friend had gone though during their battle with Tartarus. Never knew just how much she'd _sacrificed_ , just to save them. Never knew how she went through everyday with so much guilt, self loathing, and pain hanging over her. "Lucy...Why didn't you tell us?

Lucy sniffled and wiped away the tears that managed to fall. "You see how badly I blame myself, how do you think the rest of the guild would feel knowing I made a huge sacrifice for them?"

Levy knew exactly how they would feel. She was beginning to feel it as well. "They would blame themselves too..."

"Exactly, and you know how Natsu gets...He'll train until he can't stand, then stand up and train some more, just so he can get stronger to make up for not being able to protect one of his nakama.."

"You."

"Huh?"

Levy shook her head and smiled. "He would do that for you, Lu-chan."

Lucy sighed. "Levy..."

"Oh come on Lu-chan, you know he would go to hell and back for you."

"He'd do that for anyone. In fact, he'd go there just to see if the flames tasted good..."

Both girls looked at each other, before bursting into laughter at the mental image Lucy's comment made. They could definitely see Natsu running into the fiery pit with a fork, knife and an empty stomach; all with his signature grin on his face.

After a few minutes of hilarity, their laughter dimmed to giggles and quiet snorts. The atmosphere was becoming normal again, to relief of both women. "Yeah well, even if he does like to rescue me, it doesn't mean he actually likes me that way. I doubt he even knows what " _that way"_ even _means_ since he has no idea what personal space, boundaries, and social etiquette is."

Levy shook her head in amusement. "I take it he's still sneaking into your bed at night?"

"You guessed right..."

When Lucy grew silent, she knew that something occurred between her and the Fire Dragon Slayer and immediately came closer. "Something happened, didn't it. Spill, _now_."

Lucy backed away a bit from Levy's eager face, but the blue haired mage only came closer. Realizing that she wasn't going to be able to escape Levy, she reluctantly recounted what happened the morning they departed. The more she spoke, the redder her face became and by the end of the story she resembled a tomato. Surprisingly, Levy didn't and she wondered why the usually shy mage was so composed after hearing about the incident. "Levy?"

Levy blinked before realizing that Lucy had been speaking to her. "Yes?"

"How are you so calm after hearing about that?"

Incredulously, Levy snorted and rolled her eyes. "Lu-chan, I grew up with these men. I've seen them at their best, their worst and even their bare asses. Some more than others, and when I say that I mean Gray-"

"Of course."

"-And hearing about how Natsu dry humped you is no different from any of the other stories I've heard. I mean, these are my brothers. I've seen and heard it all, so your story doesn't surprise me in the least. But it does make me think."

Lucy's face by that time had mostly returned to normal, only a small flush to her cheeks remained. Levy's comment however, interested her. "What do you mean Levy?"

Levy thought for a moment before turning back to Lucy. "Well with what you told me, it almost seems like Natsu was trying to rile you up on purpose. The dry humping I doubt he was aware of, since morning wood can be painful if its not taken care of. I've had Jet and Droy curl up to me on different occasions when we camped out together on missions when we were younger. But Natsu's new habit of touching and holding you is something we should keep an eye on. Its also why I suggested we check out the book on Dragon Customs. I've always suspected that he's a lot smarter than he lets others believe."

Natsu? Smart?

HA.

Lucy snorted and laughed. Natsu Dragneel and smart in the same sentence didn't make any sense at all. Sure, he could be clever at times, but that was pretty much the extent of any intelligence he might possess. Don't get her wrong, he's her best friend to the end but he was also very much an idiot to his core.

Levy, gave her a leveled glare and Lucy immediately ceased her laughter. "What?"

"Lu-chan, I'm serious. You may not notice it, but I'm telling you, Natsu is extremely intelligent and crafty. Sure maybe he's not that book smart, but he's smart where it counts. Didn't you tell me that he tricked you into your first mission together?"

"Well yeah-"

"And that he turned Atlas Flame against future Rogue's Dragon Manipulation Magic?"

"Um-"

"And that's he's managed to break into your house daily, eat all of your food, sleep in bed with you at night, and see you naked time and time again all without permission and all without serious consequences?"

"Levy..."

"Or that he manipulated you into letting him come on this mission."

"..."

Levy sighed and gently patted the blonde's shoulder. "Lu-chan, I'm just trying to make you understand. One of Natsu's biggest advantages, whether its in battle or its at home in Fairy Tail, is that people underestimate him. We need to read that book."

Lucy kept quiet, and instead began to think about what Levy said. When she thought of all their adventures together and put them into perspective, she concluded that Natsu could either be one of the most intelligent people she'd ever met, or that Levy had gone crazy and that Natsu was just a lucky bastard.

Either way, she had some thinking to do.

And some teasing.

"So Levy, those are some nice earrings you're wearing."

When the blue haired mage's cheeks flushed a bright red, Lucy grinned.

_Sweet, sweet revenge._

...

* * *

"Aw man, I'm wiped out."

Gajeel rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the pinkette's whining. Lucy and Levy had come back from their bath and settled into their tents for the night. Both men took the opportunity to bathe and get the stink of the day and the animals off of them. "Why don't you make yourself useful and heat the water."

"Why don't you go ride the train a thousand times, iron monkey."

Natsu turned green at the thought of transportation and Gajeel glared at him. "Oi! Don't you dare throw up in here or I'll kill you!"

"S-Shut up!"

The Iron Dragon Slayer sucked his teeth and looked up at the moon as it shined above them, its reflection bobbing slowly due to the waterfall's current. In a few days, the moon would be full, and with flame fucker's already waning control, he'd have to do his best to keep things from getting hairy.

Which means it was time for Round 2 of their talk to take place.

Oh boy. This would be fun.

He was distracted from his inner thoughts by the sudden heat he felt and looked down at the bubbling water. He eyed Natsu, who was looking away stubbornly and grinned to himself. They may not get along all the time but they were still comrades. He hated to kill whatever peace they had but this talk had to happen, for all their sakes. Taking a deep breath he let it out in a sigh and began talking.

"I know you spooked those cats back at the mayor's house."

He saw him stiffen, and then a grin spread across his face. "I figured you would notice that."

"Well you figured right. What the hell is wrong with you? Did any of what I said sink into that thick skull of yours?"

"Its not like you didn't appreciate it either."

"What did you just-"

Natsu fully turned toward him then, his pupils slitted and glowing red as the playful grin he had was replaced with a malicious one. "Come on Gajeel, you said yourself that I wasn't as stupid as I let other people believe. Do you honestly think that I don't know that you were just as pissed off as I was when we went in there?"

He came closer, the water around him boiling even hotter. "How angry it must have made you, to see Levy giving that overgrown cat the affection you wish she could give you. The touches, the _kisses_ -"

His words were cut off he was suddenly punched in the face, making him fall back into the water. In surprise, he inhaled some of the water as his oxygen began escaping his mouth. He was drowning, but just as he was beginning to feel his lungs burn he was pulled out of the water by the back of his neck. He immediately coughed out the water, and gasped as he breathed in the air he desperately desired.

"T-Thank-"

Before he knew it he was plunged back into the water and held there by his neck. He struggled helplessly against the strong grip before remembering that he had magic. Just before he made to superheat his body, he was pulled up again. Immediately he reached behind him and pried the hand from his neck and turned around to see his attacker, before stopping dead at what he saw.

The Iron Dragon Slayer's pupils were slitted, and glowing a brighter shade of red than his eye color, making them stand out. He was panting, and his teeth were bared in a grimace before blinking his eyes and covering them with the same hand he used to nearly drown Natsu.

He took a deep breath, let out a big sigh and then straightened up, facing his counterpart, his eyes once again normal. "You back to yourself yet?"

Natsu's jaw dropped open comically before he scowled fiercely. "Me? You're asking _ME_ if I'm back to myself? You just tried to drown me!"

"You're lucky I _didn't_."

Before he could say another word, Gajeel cut him off. "Shut up, and for once _LISTEN_ to what I'm trying to tell you, you fucking idiot."

Natsu's mouth audibly snapped shut as Gajeel glared at him. The older mage sucked his teeth and frowned deeply. "This is why I tried to warn you. This is what I wanted to avoid, but it looks like you won't get it until its shoved down your throat."

When Natsu remained silent, he continued on. "First things first, yeah, I got a thing for the Shrimp."

His fellow Dragon Slayer still said nothing, but noticed the corner of his mouth twitch upwards in a smirk before settling back into a straight line. "Secondly..."

His eyes narrowed at the pink haired man as he came closer, staring into his eyes so that he got the point. "You do _NOT_ taunt a Dragon with something it wants, _especially_ a female. Anything else, you might be able to get away with an injury, but Dragons, Slayers included, will _kill_ without fail, over a woman."

He saw Natsu gulp slightly and backed away from him, positive that he got his message across to the pink haired man. He settled down on the steps and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What you did just now was the equivalent of what I did to you on the train when I touched Bunny Girl's knee. You practically challenged me for Levy without knowing it, and the _Dragon_ in me was ready to take you down."

He glanced at his comrade to see if he was still listening and he was, except his gaze was now on the water. "The _Dragon_ in me wanted to kill you, and its through years of experience that I was able to restrain myself. You on the other hand can't seem to do that at all. You stooped low enough to be jealous of _animals_ and scare them into submission. If you could do that, then you're liable to do anything else just to get her attention. Metalicana told me that other Dragons would even kill who they thought were competitors and leave their heads where the female could find them. It was a show of strength, and a promise that they could protect them from other Dragons."

Natsu glanced at him but remained quiet.

"I take it you've been hoarding treasure, or in our case, cash for a while now, right.? Igneel must've told you about that."

He saw him nod before he continued on. "Good. I think that even if he hadn't told you, you would have done it anyway because your instincts demand it. Women, even of the four legged and scaled variety love shiny things. It draws them in, and admittedly male Dragons like them as well. You're already trying to draw Blondie in, what with you giving her extravagant gifts and all."

"I..."

Gajeel turned toward him, watching as the pink haired man stumbled over his words.

"I...But, me and Lucy aren't like that. She's my best friend, she works hard and she deserves something nice-"

"You're trying to justify your instincts, just like on the train when you pretended to be sick. Face it Salamander, you're not fooling anyone. You want her _bad_ , but you're in denial so your instincts are taking over, and they don't like to be ignored."

"But...we're friends..."

Gajeel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Once again, he was gonna have to be an asshole so that he could understand. "If you're just friends,-"

"We are."

"How would you feel if she started dating?"

His answer was swift and just as he expected. The water began to boil violently as an enraged scowl took over the Fire Dragon Slayer's face. His pupils slitted and became red once more, as smoke began to escape between his clenched teeth. "Never."

"What?"

"She can't date. Ever. Its too dangerous. These slime balls wouldn't know how to treat her like she deserves. Its not safe for her."

Gajeel frowned. He didn't like where this was going. "How do you know some nice guy won't come along and treat her the way she wants? Who are you to say what she deserves.?"

"I'm her best friend."

"Exactly. Her best _friend_. You don't get to make decisions on who deserves her or not."

_"No one deserves Lucy."_

Gajeel's eyes narrowed at him.

"No one...Not even me..."

The Iron Dragon Slayer's eyes softened slightly at Natsu's murmured response. He knew how that felt. As much he wanted to, he knew that the guilt from attacking Levy would always hold him back from pursuing his feelings for her. It was the only reason why he wasn't losing it like Natsu was. He never even expected to fall in love. And even though he hadn't expected it, he didn't think the woman he would fall for would be short, have blue hair, with a mind as sharp as her vocabulary. It hurt, but one day he would have to watch her fall in love with someone else. But he would stay by her side and always be her friend. His guilt would anchor his instincts, and keep them from rampaging out of control, though it was gonna suck. He would take that pain, if it meant that he could always be near her.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look.."

"That's why I'm going to protect her."

What?

"I'm going to protect her from all of those sleazeballs. I'll still be her best friend, and we can still go on adventures together. And if she wants kids one day she can adopt! Its perfect!"

No.

"We'll raise them just like I raised Happy, and we can live together, and she won't have to worry about any guys trying to take her away because I'll roast them!"

Not good. _Danger._

"Who needs all these complicated feelings when things can just be simple?"

Natsu once again felt himself being grabbed by the neck and looked up to see Gajeel's furious face.

"What the hell bolt breath?! You trying to drown me _again_ -"

"Listen to me and listen _good_."

Natsu became silent, though he was frowning and glaring up at his fellow Dragon Slayer.

"I may not be as close to Bunny Girl as you are, but I'll be _damned_ before I let you take away any chance she has at a normal life because you can't control your fucking instinct to horde her to yourself. You don't get to make decisions in her love life because YOU. ARE. HER. _FRIEND_. You better figure out your fucked feelings and you better do it _quick_ , because I won't let you upset her. You and I both know she's gone through some rough shit, and she doesn't need your indecisiveness added on top of the pile. You either be man enough to make her yours, or you be man enough to let her go. Those are your only two options."

With that, Gajeel let Natsu go and exited the water. He quickly dressed and left, not sparing his fellow Dragon Slayer another glance as he disappeared into the surrounding flora.

Natsu sat there alone, his elbows resting on his knees as the water around him mimicked his own roiling emotions. He bowed his head and clenched his fists. The image of the blonde Celestial Mage appeared in his mind. She was smiling, and opening her arms out to him. And he wanted it. Wanted so badly to be in her embrace, but...

The image burned away as Gajeel's words echoed in his head.

_'You either be man enough to make her yours, or you be man enough to let her go.'_

Let her go?

His pupils flashed red before returning to normal, and a malicious grin split his face.

_Never._

...

* * *

Hi! I hope you liked the newest chapter! Things got pretty serious, and tomorrow they finally start working in the temple! Leave me a review and tell me what you think! Thanks so much for the continued interest in my story!

_*Cenote - a natural pit, or sinkhole resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath._

I based the location on the cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, which has about 7,000 of them!


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: FAIRY TAIL AND ALL OF ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO HIRO MASHIMA AND NOT ME. THE ONLY THING I CAN CLAIM IS THE PLOT AND THE OTHER CHARACTERS.

I can't even begin to describe how amazing you all are. The reviews are so lovely and they really warm my heart. I want to thank you all again for the kind words and to let you all know that I have absolutely no intentions of abandoning this story. I had to wait because of my college finals, and now that I'm out for the semester and the summer, I can update a lot more. Thank you all once again for your continued interest! :)

_Summary:_

_When Levy invites Lucy and Natsu on a mission to translate wall carvings from an ancient temple, they accidentally invoke the "Trials by Nature", a series of tests that an ancient tribe used as a way to initiate members into adult hood. They must conquer the twelve basic animal instincts, while trying to reign in the feelings that the trials invoke in them._

...

* * *

The next morning came with another hellish day of baking slowly in the sun's rays. It was bright too, brighter than it usually was and at an earlier time, forcing the tired mages to get up. When Levy opened the tent flap, she was nearly blinded by the intense amount of light so early in the day and could imagine that the sun was grinning down at them like the smug bastard it was.

Fuck you Mr. Sun.

You're not even a _real_ planet. You're a ball of _gas_ that got lit on fire.

You're just a fiery fart that just won't go away.

As Levy continued to spew all kinds of insults at the sun in her head, she was interrupted as Lucy spoke up behind her. "Levy? You're kinda blocking the exit..."

All thoughts of the sun were quickly halted as Levy turned her head to see the confused and still sleepy face of ther blonde best friend. "Oh, sorry Lu-chan. I was just...um.."

"Calling the sun a _fiery fart?_ "

The bluenette's eyes widened and she immediately blushed in embarrassment, her head lowering sheepishly. "Was I saying all of that stuff out loud?"

"I heard every word. But don't feel bad, I agree with you. This is why the best things always happen at night. At least the moon has the stars as friends."

They both snorted and laughed, taking a few minutes to allow their mirth to wake them up fully before venturing out of the tent and to the fire pit where Gajeel was already cooking a breakfast stew, while simultaneously trying to keep Natsu from eating the fire. "Oi! Stop being greedy!"

The pinkette only doubled his efforts in trying to consume the flame, his face contorting because of Gajeel's large hand pushing his head away from the fire. "I just want a taste! You're being too slow to cook!"

"Too bad! If you wanna eat you gotta wait!"

"Just a little bit of fire won't hurt!"

"You're a glutton you're just gonna eat it all!"

"Even if I do I can just light the fire again with my magic!"

"That's not the point! I'm cooking so you're gonna wait!"

With a final push Gajeel successfully shoved Natsu away from the fire. The pinkette landed with an "oof!" sound and glared at his fellow Dragon Slayer. "Stupid metal head! I bet your cooking sucks!"

Gajeel glared at him for a moment before his eyes returned to the slowly simmering breakfast stew. "I'll have you know that my cooking is famous, fire fucker."

"For what? Giving people the runs?"

Gajeel's head swiftly turned toward the grinning Fire Dragon Slayer. He then stood up, and brandished the ladle in his hand at him threateningly with a fierce glare. "That's it! You're going down Pinky!"

Natsu immediately jumped to his feet and into a battle ready stance, his fists lit aflame and his signature grin on his face. "Bring it on Chef Boyar- _DON'T!"_

"Why you _little-_ "

"Alright! That's enough!"

All eyes turned to Lucy, who's fists were clenched, her entire stance rigid with anger and a glare that could scare the scales off the likes of even Acnologia. Both men involuntarily gulped, Natsu even more so since he was the most familiar with Lucy's anger. He raised his arms in surrender and dared to venture closer to the irritated blonde.

"Alright Lucy, take it easy. Everything's fine-"

She turned her molten glare onto him, easily cutting him off and making him forget whatever he was about to say. "Natsu, its too early for you and Gajeel to be starting trouble. Its not even seven in the morning and its already boiling hot, and its too bright. I'm tired, cranky, and I've got more than a few Lucy Kicks in my arsenal if I catch you acting up. Do I make myself clear?"

He nodded rapidly, not willing to argue with her, but then his expression became slightly pouty. "I just wanted a snack to tide me over until breakfast was done. Its not like I can't replace the flame..."

Lucy sighed and massaged her temples, then her face relaxed into a small smile. For whatever reason, she just couldn't stay mad at him. His voracious appetite was one thing she understood all too well and she knew that by now, he had to be starving. She shook her head and went back to her and Levy's tent, and Natsu began to feel as though he was troubling her. He looked away as his shame began to take over, but he was only allowed a moment of self pity before he heard her delicate foot steps return. He turned to her, ready to apologize when a plastic package was suddenly thrust into his face. "Here."

He glanced at her and was pleased to see a light blush on her cheeks, before taking the package from her hands and reading it. His mouth watered when he realized that she'd just given him a package of his favorite spiced jerky. She crossed her arms under her bust and turned away from him then, already heading back to her and Levy's tent. "Next time you want a snack, just ask me. You usually eat all of my food anyway so I brought some for you just in case."

Satisfied that there would be no more fighting she continued walking back to the tent, but not before she was suddenly enveloped into an overly warm embrace from behind, and she knew it was him immediately. His arms were bare, and she'd failed to notice before that he hadn't been wearing a shirt, just a pair of sleeping pants. His hands rested on her stomach and she couldn't help but notice how the thickly corded muscles of his arms that she knew could deliver devastating blows, were holding her firmly but gently in his grasp. She gasped softly as he began nuzzling his face into the column of her neck, his nose brushing just under her ear. Her heart beat faster when she felt his lips slightly graze her jaw. And then he spoke, his voice low and husky like it had been the morning of their departure. "Thanks Lucy, you're the best."

And then he was gone.

The suddenly cold air at her back startled her, and she turned just in time to see him duck into his and Gajeel's shared tent, no doubt to prevent having to share his favorite treat.

Like a puppy.

The blonde was suddenly assaulted with the image of Natsu as a pink furred puppy, and she giggled to herself. All thoughts of puppies were cut off however when she heard someone femininely clear their throat. Turning around, she immediately blushed when she realized that Levy and Gajeel were still there, and that they'd witnessed the entire thing between her and Natsu. Levy, the traitor, was giving her this "cat got the canary" look. And by the size of the grin on her face, she knew exactly what her own role was.

Tweet tweet.

She gulped and then tore her gaze from Levy's and speed walked to their tent. Levy would no doubt be there to join her soon in order to tease her. She decided to busy herself by gathering the outfit she wanted to wear and reorganize the books they would need to translate the ruins. She knew that the blue haired mage would wait for a moment when they were completely alone, and out of their favorite Dragon Slayer's hearing range before really pumping her for information.

_Oh joy._

...

* * *

Levy giggled to herself as she watched Lucy scramble off toward their tent after hurriedly looking away from her. At least Lucy knew what was coming. Even so, she was still surprised at what she'd been witness to, despite what Lucy had already told her. That embrace was nowhere _near_ friendly. And that snuggling? The icing on cake.

That Dragon Slayer wanted her _bad_.

It was so _obvious_ it was painful to watch. How could they be so blind? Especially Lucy, who was a fellow romantic and even wrote romantic scenes in her still developing book. No, Levy thought. Lucy wasn't blind, she decided. Lucy was in DENIAL.

Like the river.

However, this didn't surprise her, she thought as she stretched, and began removing the bowls and spoons from the bag at Gajeel's side. Lucy was in denial because of ignorance. After all, it was bliss. She'd already told Lucy that Natsu was a lot smarter than he appeared, but she had a feeling that the blonde just couldn't accept that. She couldn't accept that her favorite "idiot" may actually be putting the moves on her. She didn't know why, I mean even outsiders have mentioned them being a couple, just from a glance and without knowing them at all. They needed to hurry up and get together. She wanted to see some pink and blonde haired babies. She halted her movements abruptly before face palming herself.

Dear lord she was becoming _Mira._

Shaking the thoughts of the demon barmaid from her mind with a quick check to see if her hair was turning white, she resumed setting up a suitable area for them to eat. While she could understand Lucy's reasons for denial, that wasn't what concerned her the most.

It was Natsu's behavior.

He was clever, but Levy got the feeling that Natsu wasn't really understanding his actions, or that he had conflicting feelings. She noticed it when he immediately retreated to his and Gajeel's tent after snuggling up to the blonde. Natsu was a man, she knew that he had some ideas about intimacy, it was instinctual. But she didn't think he understood the different types of intimacy. To him, she theorized, he believed that the kind of close behavior that he'd exhibited was alright because he and Lucy were best friends. Sure that didn't apply to all best friends but there was a basic boundary line between intimacy between friends and intimacy between lovers.

And Natsu was jumping back and forth across that line. It reminded her of a "friends with benefits" deal, but she knew that he wouldn't consciously see it as that. He may not be very refined but Natsu respected women just like all Fairy Tail men. He would probably tear the head off of anyone who even _suggested_ something like that to Lucy, let alone do it himself. Which was why her theory of him not understanding his actions was slowly gathering evidence. The conflicted feelings, however were a little trickier. She couldn't put a finger on it, but something was telling her that there was an inner battle going on within him over his feelings for the blonde. He jumped away from Lucy too quickly, broke away too fast to be normal. And to run into his tent to eat his snacks?

Not buying it.

Natsu wouldn't pass up a chance to get one up on Gajeel.

She and Lucy needed to read that book.

"What the hell's eating you Shrimp?"

She was jolted out of her thoughts by Gajeel's rough voice, and turned to the Dragon Slayer who was looking at her with some kind of suspicion and concern, the metal studs in his eyebrows glinting from the bright sun.

He was so handsome.

Blinking, she immediately snapped herself out of her thoughts before they took a wrong turn before giving the large man a small smile. "Just thinking. Is the stew almost done?"

She could tell that he didn't buy it, but after giving her the same look for a moment more he turned back to the simmering stew that was now covered with a lid. "Yeah, ten more minutes."

She nodded and her eyes rolled over his form. Unlike Natsu he had a shirt on, but it was another tank top, revealing his toned and scarred arms, complete with studs of their own. He was already beginning to sweat from the sun's rays, and she would never admit that she enjoyed watching his skin glisten in the light. He was wearing a pair of long black shorts, his strong calves slightly flexing as he shifted in his seat on a tree stump. He stretched then, those fine arms of his reaching into the air and his strong neck tilted his head to the side as he cracked it and his back, getting the kinks out from hunching over the large pot. The bluenette gulped a bit and a blush began spreading over her face.

Damn this man was _fine._

A raspy breath left his lips as his arms sank back down and rested on his thighs. He hunched over a bit, and she got a full view of the rat's nest he called his hair that was hastily put into a pony tail. "Gajeel, what did you do to your hair?"

His head lifted at her inquiry and a hand insecurely scratched at his head. "Blame Salamander. Sleeping next to him is like sleeping in a damn oven. I don't know how Bunny Girl can willingly do it."

She held back on revealing that she doesn't willingly do it, to instead go closer to him. "Do you have a brush?"

His eyes widened a bit before she saw his cheeks slightly redden. He turned away quickly and nodded to the bag on the other side of him. "Its in there."

She nodded and quickly rummaged through the bag to find a brush and by chance his ration of water. Taking both, she quickly stood up and took a position behind him. She carefully took the elastic band from his hair and put it on her wrist. Then she carefully poured some of the water onto the soft bristles of the brush. She cast a small "Heat" spell onto it and then began to carefully brush through his hair.

...

* * *

To say Gajeel was happy was an understatement.

One of his fantasies was occurring right behind him, and for once, he was glad that that stupid pink headed dolt ruined his hair. Hell if he could get this treatment everyday he'd gladly fuck up his hair. She carefully ran the heated brush through his locks, her soft hands gently gripping them as she worked to defeat the tangled mess. He sat there, helpless as the woman he secretly loved conquered him over and over without even knowing it, just by playing in his hair.

Grooming was a kink that Dragon Slayers shared with Dragons. It strengthened bonds and between lovers, showed mutual trust between both parties as well as intimacy. Metalicana drilled these things into his head, knowing that he would have to leave him behind soon. The bastard may have been a jerk but at least he made sure that Gajeel was well prepared. He stiffened suddenly and clenched his teeth as the bluenette's brushing snagged a fierce knot. He heard the small woman give a mumbled apology and he grunted his acceptance as she continued on, successfully getting rid of the knot.

Minutes passed as she continued brushing through his hair, and those minutes were pure heaven, until she was done. He turned to her slightly, trying to keep the disappointment from his voice. "You done Shrimp?"

She examined his hair for a moment before replying. "Almost."

She then jogged to her shared tent with Blondie, and he would never admit that he hated to see her go but loved watching her leave. Seriously, he didn't know why she was so hung up over her cup size when her ass was amazing. Those little sleeping shorts did nothing to hide the plumpness that was her backside. And her legs...

Sweet, sweet lord.

His body involuntarily shuddered. What he wouldn't give to have those luscious, creamy thighs wrapped around him-

"Gajeel?"

He blinked, and realized that she was standing in front of him, a clear bottle of some kind of oil in her hands. There was a small blush on her face, and her expression was a mix of concern and confusion. He somehow managed to gain control of himself enough to ask a question. "What's in the bottle?"

Her bright eyes immediately switched from him, which was a relief, to the bottle in her hands. She then seemed to remember what she was doing before as her pretty mouth made an "O" shape in realization. "I got this for you, Its for your hair. It helps keep it soft, healthy and moisturized. I use it for my hair all the time."

He scoffed at that and lifted the lid to the stew, and giving it a quick stir before putting it back on. "Sorry Shrimp, no way are you putting some girly crap in my hair."

Her face puffed out in indignation, and a small " _gihi_ " escaped his mouth before he could stop it. That only seemed to irritate her further as she marched up to him and shoved the bottle in his face.

"Its not girly! Its natural oils that help keep it healthy. I did some research and found that these oils work best for all hair types and even better together. As it is now, your hair is really brittle and if its not taken care of properly you'll start losing it."

His eyebrow twitched and he stiffened, before glancing away from her. Well he certainly didn't want his hair falling out..."Alright Shrimp, have it your way."

She smiled, and he could have sworn his heart stuttered for a moment before she came to stand behind him again. She opened the bottle, and his nose caught onto the sweet citrusy scent that was wafting from it. "What kind of oils are in that?"

She poured some into her hand before setting the bottle down. She rubbed it between both hands to warm it before sinking her hands back into his hair and gently massaging his scalp. "There's Argan Oil, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Mint oil and Citrus extract."

He hadn't heard a word of what she said after her hands began to work their magic onto his scalp. His eyes closed and he subconsciously leaned his head further into her soft hands. God, her hands were amazing. The soothing rubbing and light scratching from her nails made him incapable of anything else but feeling. He didn't know how he was supposed to stay away from her when she could reduce him to mush with the simplest of things. He could feel his scalp tingle from the oils, and sighed when the cooling sensation spread over his body. It felt amazing, and it took everything he had to keep the purr that was building up in his throat from escaping his lips. Her hands trailed lower to the base of his skull and when she massaged there with her thumb, he saw stars, and felt a jolt of pure desire run down his spine.

Oh yes.

 _This_ , was his _Nirvana_.

But like all good things, it ended too soon.

Her hands left that magical spot, to briefly comb through his hair with her fingers in order to spread the oils. She then took the elastic band and tied his hair back up into a pony tail, knot free, tangle free, and thoroughly moisturized.

Because he's worth it.

"All done!"

His eyes opened and he looked back at her as she smiled. He could feel the heat in his cheeks build before turning back around and taking the lid from the pot again, giving it another stir before grabbing one of the bowls and filling it. "Thanks Shrimp. Go tell them to get their asses over here or they ain't eatin'."

She giggled, picked up her bottle of oils and headed back to the tents. His eyes never left her form as he absently reached back and felt the ponytail.

He could honestly say that his hair had never been in a better condition than it was now.

And it was all because of her.

As he watched her, he could feel the corners of his lips upturn slightly into a small smile. She was so incredible, she would make the man she married very happy. They would have a small wedding because he knew that she didn't like to be the center of attention, but they would have a big house. She would need a place for all of her books. Maybe five bedrooms, because with her hips she'd be able to have children easily. Somewhere away from the hustle and bustle of Magnolia, she loved peace when she read and the noise from the city would disrupt her. A room for Lily, because the cat loved having his own space. A big kitchen, he would need space to cook. A backyard for training and the children. He could see it; Spring time on a sunny day. He would be finishing up training with Lily as she sat outside with them in a comfy lounge chair with a book, glasses sliding down her nose. And when she tried to get up, he would have to help her, because her belly would be round with their first child, and her swollen ankles and feet would make it hard for her to get around...He would pick her up, and she would protest, saying that she could walk but she'd still let him carry her across the threshold and into their home...Yeah...

Before he even began to realize what he was doing, Gajeel had already gotten up and was making a beeline for the small blue haired mage, who was caught up in talking with Blondie. His pupils had become slitted and were glowing red as the vision he had began to replay over and over in his mind. He wanted that vision to be true, that forbidden fantasy to be reality so badly that it physically hurt, and he was gonna make it happen.

He was on a mission.

He'd almost had her. Just a few more feet and she'd have been in his grasp, but he was stopped by his fellow Dragon Slayer making a sudden appearance and bumping into him.

"Oi! Watch where you're going, pierced freak!"

Gajeel snapped out of it then, his eyes returning to normal as he tried to figure out how the hell he'd gotten from his seat at the pot to being within feet of Levy. He paled when he realized that he'd briefly lost control, allowed _the Dragon_ to tempt him with thoughts of a life with her. It wouldn't care that she wouldn't want him, it was selfish. It wanted what it wanted, and _she_ was what it wanted.

And it almost succeeded.

Seemingly ignorant to Gajeel's inner torment, Natsu's face twisted into a confused expression and then, sniffed him.

"Hey, scrap heap, why do you smelly fruity like a chick?"

As he blinked, Gajeel's angsty thoughts were put on hold to glare at the pink haired Dragon Slayer. And as he let his fist fly into his jaw, his waning control no longer circling the drain of his mind, he never felt more relieved to be fighting in his life.

...

* * *

After breakfast and a quick bath in the cenote, they got to work. Because they didn't want to cause anymore damage that had been done by the natural deterioration of the temple, Natsu and Gajeel had to carry out the rocks and stone that'd blocked the entrance to the room with the wall carvings. It took a few hours, but by twelve in the afternoon it was cleared, and they began working on unblocking the other rooms. Lucy and Levy immediately got to work translating the ruins, which revealed many stories and historical events that, according to the book on Lost Magic, were indeed in chronological order.

Luckily for Lucy, the halls echoed, and that meant that Levy couldn't pester her about the morning's events for fear that both Dragon Slayers would hear them. Levy decided it would be better to bring it up when it wasn't so fresh in Lucy's mind in so she won't be as embarrassed or reluctant to talk about it. But she would, there was no avoiding their talk. They decided to make their translating fun by using Lucy's new music lacrima to play music on its speaker setting. A few hallways down, Gajeel and Natsu were clearing out rocks and debris from another room, which looked to be some kind of storage area if the ancient tools were any clue. Somehow, they managed to refrain from fighting like they did that morning and when they finished clearing everything out, they decided to take a break, sitting on the dusty floor.

Gajeel rested his head against the wall behind him with his eyes closed. He hated this silence. It made his mind drift back to the near disaster that morning, and he didn't want to think about it. He'd been _so close_ , so close to taking away her future for his own selfish desires. He knew then that coming on this mission was a huge mistake. He should have never let her talk him into it, but he wanted her to be safe, and that was the one part of this that he didn't regret. His ears twitched at the sound of her twinkling voice as she sang some new song with Lucy as they worked. Once again, his lips upturned into a small smile as his silence was invaded by her. He began to relax, the lullaby that was her voice melting away his tension.

"You've got a nasty look on your face, bolt brain."

And just like that, his moment of peace was gone.

He opened his eyes and glared at his fellow Dragon Slayer and then decided that he needed to distract himself. So he got up, stretched, and proceeded to get back to work, before Natsu's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"You lost control back there."

Gajeel turned to him, and wasn't surprised to see the pink haired man's expression to be tense and calculating. Just like he'd thought. Natsu wasn't as stupid as he let people believe. And now he had reason to believe that him bumping into him was planned, and not an accident.

Clever bastard.

He didn't answer him, letting his silence do that instead. Natsu stood up and dusted his pants off before looking Gajeel in the eye. "You were talking so much shit about me having control, and you nearly made off with Levy. Maybe instead of giving me so much shit about what I'm doing, you should be keeping an eye on yourself."

He scoffed and glared at him again. "At least I recognize that I've crossed the line. You don't even know where the line _is_."

Natsu's eyebrow twitched in irritation at that comment. "What did you just say?"

Gajeel scowled and crossed his arms. "See? You didn't even realize your own loss of control this morning. You practically molested Blondie in front of me and the Shrimp when you grabbed her and shoved your face into her neck like some kind of animal."

Natsu's expression became confused, but he could see a blush beginning to spread across his face. "I-I was just thanking her for the snack. That's all."

"Oh _please_ , spare me the bullshit. Even YOU don't fully believe that."

Natsu's face burned with embarrassment, and he looked away, crossing his arms in his frustration. "It was just a thank you..."

Gajeel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose to fend off the headache that was forming from his fellow Dragon Slayer's idiocy. "Friends don't touch each other like that."

"Why not?"

"Because that's too intimate for just being friends. Only lovers touch that way."

The pink haired man's expression became conflicted. "Well, why can't we? Who says we have to be like everyone else?"

The desperation in his voice was alarming. The thought of not being able to touch her or hold her the way he wanted was working him up into a frenzy. His breathing was becoming harsher and faster, like he was about to have a panic attack.

"Hey, look man, that's just how things are. You wouldn't touch Erza like that would you?"

That seemed to snap him out of whatever panic had gripped him as his face twisted into an expression of pure disgust. "Ew! Of course not! She'd hang me by my balls on a flagpole if I tried that with her!"

Gajeel turned green. "Ugh! Don't say that!"

"You're the one who brought up touching Erza like I touch Lucy!"

Forcing the disgusting mental images, he realized what Natsu said and grinned. "Why wouldn't you touch Erza like you touch Lucy?"

Natsu opened his mouth and Gajeel realized that he needed to edit what he said. "Besides the obvious reasons."

Natsu's mouth closed then, and Gajeel saw him begin to think for a moment before he responded. "Well, because she's my friend."

Gajeel's grin widened dramatically.

Gotcha.

"But Lucy is your friend too right? Or so you claim. If she is, why would you touch her differently from your other friends that are girls?"

Natsu gulped and scrambled for an answer. "I-I...B-because she's my best friend! Yeah! So I would treat her a bit more special than the other girls."

He grinned then, thinking that he'd gotten one over on the Iron Dragon Slayer, who could only gape at him in disbelief.

Wow.

He was a fucking moron.

It was then that Gajeel remembered the comment Natsu made just before their encounter with the wolves and he grinned again, which made Natsu's look of triumph diminish a bit. "You said yesterday that Lucy would be around to make sure your kids wouldn't become idiots like you. What did you mean by that?"

When Natsu's pupils dilated in realization, Gajeel knew he had him cornered.

Check mate.

He could see him try to scramble for an answer, but the elder man knew that it would be no use. There was no explaining that one away. Based on what he'd been saying last night, he wanted them to live together and raise children together, even if they were adopted. Buried beneath all of that denial, Natsu wanted children with Lucy, adopted or not. He wanted to raise a family with her, and that proved just how badly he wanted her.

He was sunk before he even knew he was on the damn boat.

He was literally knocked out of his thoughts when the pink haired man punched him in the face. He immediately straightened himself out before he could fall down and got into a fighting stance. "What the hell Salamander!?"

He looked angry, his eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. "Stop twisting my friendship with Lucy into something perverted!"

"I'm not! You're being stupid because you can't figure out that you're in love with-"

He threw another punch to cut him off. "Shut up!"

This time Gajeel dodged, and delivered a punch of his own, knocking him into the wall at the back of the small room.

It shattered upon impact.

Oops.

Aww damn. The girls had to have heard that. Levy was gonna kill him. They weren't supposed to be breaking shit and here they were, breaking shit. To be fair, Natsu started it and he was only defending himself.

Said man was currently groaning as he sat up in the rubble. "Why you..."

Before another word could be said, both girls came in, magic at the ready before they realized that there wasn't any danger. Just stupidity at play.

Lucy spoke up first, clearly angry if her glare that was laser focused on the pink haired Dragon Slayer was any indication. The man even had the decency to look sheepish and avoided her gaze. "Natsu! I told you no destruction! This isn't the guild hall, its an important piece of history! I trusted you!"

His head snapped up to meet her gaze then, his teeth clenched and his eyes narrowed. "Don't blame me! Gajeel is the one who knocked me into the wall!"

Both women then turned to Gajeel, though Levy's disappointed look stung him the most. He scoffed and pointed to the bruise blooming on his jaw. "Don't look at me. Pinky here's the one who threw the first punch. I was just defending myself."

Natsu was once again the center of attention and he muttered an oath under his breath. Lucy shook her head in disappointment and made to leave the room before Levy suddenly spoke up.

"Wait, what's that?"

Through all of the commotion and arguing, they all missed just what was behind the rubble that Natsu was still sitting in.

There was another room.

...

* * *

Sorry for the long wait guys! I wanted to make this longer but I decided this was a good spot to end. Don't worry! I've already started Chapter 7 and it'll be up by Saturday! I hope you enjoyed reading this! Thanks again! :)


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: FAIRY TAIL AND ALL OF ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO HIRO MASHIMA AND NOT ME. THE ONLY THING I CAN CLAIM IS THE PLOT AND THE OTHER CHARACTERS.

I'm so sorry guys! I unexpectedly had to babysit my sister and couldn't get this done in time yesterday! D: Thank you so much for being patient! Without further ado, here's Chapter 7!

_Summary:_

_When Levy invites Lucy and Natsu on a mission to translate wall carvings from an ancient temple, they accidentally invoke the "Trials by Nature", a series of tests that an ancient tribe used as a way to initiate members into adult hood. They must conquer the twelve basic animal instincts, while trying to reign in the feelings that the trials invoke in them._

...

* * *

A hidden room.

A hidden, _friggin'_ room.

All four mages had to blink for a bit to make sure that they weren't seeing things. And when they did, they came to the conclusion that yes, behind the destroyed wall was indeed a room that had been previously hidden.

After gaping at the newly discovered room for a few more moments, Natsu's head turned back to them and a smug, toothy grin spread wide across his face, his eyes shining with mischief and triumph. "HA! My destructive tendencies actually helped for once!"

Lucy's attention snapped back to him and she frowned. He gulped, and suddenly, he wasn't feeling as happy as he should have been.

The blonde huffed in irritation. "You got lucky Natsu. _This time_. But don't go destroying walls just to see if there are hidden rooms behind them or you'll bring the temple down."

She offered a hand to him, which he immediately took and pulled himself up and out of the rubble from the wall. Levy went closer to the broken wall and examined it, carefully picking up small pieces of the stone and looking it over with precision. Contrary to the other parts of the temple, this stone was much lighter in weight and thinner. One piece that caught her eye was shaped oddly. She picked it up and discovered that it had a smooth cylindrical lump on it, but the inside of it was concave...

Something seemed to click in her head, and she then examined where the wall had been broken and her eyes widened at what she found. "Guys, this wasn't a wall, it was a sliding door, and this..." She holds up the piece of stone for them to see. "Was the handle."

They all came closer to get a good look at it and suddenly, it dawned on them.

There was a handle.

Gajeel had the decency to look embarrassed about their enormous oversight, and Lucy had no choice but to be embarrassed for Natsu because he sure as hell wasn't. In fact, he was examining the same spot Levy had been, his attention long gone from the piece of stone in her hand.

Lucy massaged her temples, no doubt trying to fend off a Natsu sized headache. "Are you telling me, that if they had been paying attention, they could have opened the door?"

Ding ding, give the lady a prize.

"Actually, you're wrong about that."

Or not.

Surprisingly, it was Natsu who spoke, who was now standing from his brief inspection of the partially broken stone door and wiping the dust off of his clothing and hands. Amazingly, it had only broken enough that the top half was broken. The bottom was damaged but still intact and would need to be removed if they wanted to get in. Gajeel scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, _do_ tell us how you came to that conclusion, since you're _so smart_."

Instead of getting angry, or trying to start a fight, Natsu calmly waved them over to the gap between the walls where the door would have slid into when it was being opened. When they came over, he lit a small flame, illuminating what was inside.

"That's why, _asshole_."

In the gap, lay an enormous beehive that was taking up most of the space in it. It was long abandoned, any bees that had once taken residence there either left it willingly or died off. An opaque film was covering it, and the walls around it. The film however began to drip slightly due to the heat of Natsu's fire.

He boldly reached into the gap and swiped his finger across the substance and brought his hand back out for them to see.

"Bees Wax. In the heat its pretty much just goo. But since this is further into the temple, its cool, and it becomes extremely durable. Not only that, the hive itself is extremely strong on its own. Once the wall was broken I kept smelling something sweet so I went to have a look."

He looked around more before his dark eyes landed on a stone. He immediately picked it up and discovered that one side was similarly shaped like the handle in Levy's hand. He held out his hand for it, and the bluenette gave it over, curious to see what he was going to do. By now, all eyes were on him as examined both stone pieces for a moment, before putting them together.

The stone fit over the handle like a puzzle piece, perfectly concealing it. Meaning that there was no way they would have ever known it was there, even if they'd searched the room from top to bottom.

Well, shit.

He handed the completed piece to Levy, whose jaw was dropped just like her other two companions. A few moments passed before they promptly closed their mouths, and now it was Lucy and Levy's turn to be embarrassed for being so hard on them.

Sensing the tension, Gajeel stepped closer to Levy and gently ruffled her blue hair. "Don't worry about it Shrimp. Being smart ain't always the answer. If that was the case you wouldn't need us for the heavy lifting."

The bluenette looked up at him, still clutching the stone pieces in her arms, and gave a wry smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Its just kinda hard to accept that if not for you and Natsu's bullshittery, we wouldn't have even known this room existed. We should give you guys more credit. So...Sorry for the...you know..."

The larger man rolled his eyes and playfully poked her in the head. "Didn't I say don't worry about it? I promised I would make you big, and that's what I'm gonna do. You need me to do all the smashing and I need you to do the brainy stuff. Don't beat yourself up, there are plenty of assholes out there who will do it for you..."

His voice tapered off at that, and Levy immediately knew what he was thinking and slapped his bare shoulder. His attention snapped back to her again as she glared softly at him.

"You hypocrite, you're not allowed to beat yourself up either."

His eyes widened in shock, and her expression softened, a small smile replacing the frown that was there moments ago. "Like you said, there are plenty of assholes who will do that for you."

The Iron Dragon Slayer stared at her, and Levy began to blush slightly with the large man's attention so focused on her when she suddenly felt the sides of her head being noogied.

"O-Ow! Stop Gajeel!"

He ignored her pleas for a bit, before finally relenting with small _"gihi"_ escaping his lips. She sighed, before feeling his large hand land gently on her head. She looked up at him in confusion. His face was turned away from her, but she could just make out a slight upturn of his lips.

_Ba-Bump._

She clutched the stone to her chest, as if that would muffle the marathon her heart had suddenly decided to take part in. If seeing just the corner of his smile could do this to her, she was sure that seeing him fully smile would damn well give her a heart attack. She made a move to join Natsu and Lucy, the former of which already trying to break down the rest of the door, when Gajeel's hand moved from her head to gently grasp her arm. She looked up at him for an explanation, when she noticed his gaze on their two friends. She looked as well, and noticed the tense atmosphere between them.

He gave her arm a small tug and nodded his head toward the exit, a wide grin full of mischief on his face. Understanding what he wanted immediately, she gave a small grin of her own. "Hey, Lu-chan?"

The blonde jumped as though she were caught with her hand in the cookie jar and turned toward Levy. "Yeah?"

Levy schooled her features so as not to give her and Gajeel's plan away. "How about you and Natsu finish up in there while Gajeel and I continue translating?"

Lucy's expression became confused and Levy became worried that things wouldn't work out according to plan. "But, he doesn't know the symbols..."

Gajeel chimed in then, saving her from having to explain anything further. "You may not know it Blondie, but I do pay attention when she yammers about books and shit-"

"Hey!"

"So I'll catch on fast. Besides, someone's gotta lift her up so she can see the higher stuff, and you're the only one who can keep that bonehead in line."

Lucy opened her mouth to protest, but stopped herself when she realized everything they said made sense. All four of them wouldn't be needed to explore the room and it did give them a way to continue translating. They still had a job to do after all.

She sighed and her gaze slipped to the pink haired man behind her, who was breaking down the rest of the stone door so that they could get inside safely. "I guess that's the smartest thing to do..."

"Of course it is, because I'm smart."

They all heard the loud scoff from Natsu, and Levy gripped Gajeel's arm when she saw his eyebrow twitch in annoyance. "A-Anyway! That's that! When you finish just come back to the chamber. See ya!"

The bluenette then quickly pulled Gajeel toward the exit as Lucy turned around to help Natsu. She looked up at Gajeel, who was still upset at Natsu's dismissal of his intelligence and rolled her eyes. Releasing his arm, she then elbowed him in the ribs and watched as he quickly moved to cover the sore area. "What the hell was that for Shrimp?"

She put her hands on her hips and looked away from him, though her eyes were full of mischief. "That's for saying that I yammer. I do _not_ yammer."

When she turned to look at him, he had a dumbfounded expression on his face, and she bit her lip to keep from laughing at him. She walked by him, but not before bumping him lightly with her hip and putting a little bit more switch into her walk.

After all, what kind of woman would she be if she didn't make him sweat a little?

He watched her walk away for a bit, hypnotized by the swing of her hips as she continued to leave him behind. He was pretty sure that he fucked himself when their plan to get Blondie and Pinky to talk worked. Because now, he and Levy would be alone together, and that worked _so well_ before when he nearly absconded with her. That was fine. He just had to keep control of himself. He knew what to do, he's been doing it for years. Just think good, clean thoughts-

"Gajeel? Are you coming?"

He blinked, and realized that she was looking over her shoulder at him. He shook himself out of his thoughts and started walking toward her. "Yeah yeah, keep your shorts on."

She rolled her eyes at him and continued walking ahead, and he had no problem letting her take the lead.

Sweet lord.

Daddy must've been a baker.

...

* * *

The blonde sighed as she turned toward her best friend, who was silent as he continued breaking down the rest of the stone door. It was weird, him being silent. He was always full of joy and energy and always had something to say. She wondered if he was angry at her for yelling at him-

"I'm not mad."

"Huh-"

Suddenly, she was surrounded by him and his warmth. His arms held her tight, and his scent filled her entire being. Through his thin shirt, she could faintly feel his heart beating against her chest. In that moment, whether it would last a few seconds or for eternity, Lucy didn't think she'd ever feel safer in her entire life.

She heard him talking, but he was speaking so lowly that she couldn't catch what he'd been saying. "W-What?"

He sighed, his warm breath cascading over her ear and neck before he pulled back slightly to look her in the eye, a small smile on his face. "I said, that I wasn't mad at you, and not to worry about it. You were right. If there hadn't been a room behind that wall it would've been my fault because I started the fight."

His forehead came down to rest against hers, their noses touching slightly. He brought one hand up and rested it on her back of her head, not unlike the way he did to her future self before she died. He pulled back after a moment, a huge grin on his face. "Don't worry Luce! I told you that I'd be good and that's what I'm gonna do. Now come on, we've gotta find out what's in that room!"

He pulled away from her and walked toward the remains of the stone door. "Come on, I need your help. This thing is stuck fast to the floor."

She nodded and went closer to him before realizing something. She stopped in front of him, and put a hand to her head in exasperation. "Natsu...You do know that you can just use your fire to burn the hive and melt the wax...Right?"

He had just been about to continue punching through the remains before he stopped and began to think. His eyes widened and he looked away, an embarrassed blush on his face. "Oh yeah...I forgot.."

She shook her head in disbelief and amusement as his hand came up to awkwardly rub the back of his head, a small grin on his face.

Dear lord.

What was she going to do with him.

After a moment he turned away and proceeded to burn out the old hive and the wax. Afterward, he was able to easily push the remains of the door into the gap and clear the way for them to enter.

After a quick sniff, Natsu determined that there wasn't anything there that would try and hurt them. It was dark, but luckily, they'd found a few old torches attached to the wall and lit them via Natsu's fire. When it was bright enough to see clearly, it was clear to see that what they'd stumbled upon was a store room of some kind. It was much larger than the room behind them. This one was about the size of Lucy's apartment layout, and filled with shelves and work tables. On those shelves, were hundreds of glass jars. A thick layer of dust concealed their contents, and it made the blonde wary to what exactly those contents were.

Natsu went to the shelves and made to pick up one of the jars before Lucy's shout stopped him. "Natsu! Don't touch that! Who knows what could be in it! What if its body parts or something?!"

Amazingly he scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Lucy, you watch too many horror movies. There's no body parts in these jars."

She went up to him and eyed it with suspicion before looking up at him. "You don't know that. They could have practiced some kind of sacrificial ritual or something back then..."

"Yeah, I do know that. I know because I would have smelled it. The room would stink of rotting bodies if that was the case, especially if they were sealed and stewing in their own fluids. These jars wouldn't have been able to seal the stench away."

"Ew, Natsu don't say that..."

He chuckled and gently nudged her shoulder. "Just telling the truth. Don't worry so much Lucy, you're gonna get wrinkles."

"Whose gonna get wrinkles?!"

He laughed, the sound filling the entire room and she couldn't help but admire his amazing ability to always find joy in anything. His laugh dwindled down to chuckles as he finally picked up one of the jars and wiped away the dust.

And came face to face with liquid gold.

"What the hell?"

She came closer and looked down at the jar in his hand before gasping. "Its honey!"

The blonde then picked up another jar and wiped it off before coming face to face with the same thing. "Oh my goodness, these are all filled with honey!"

He snickered. "Told you they weren't filled with body parts."

"Oh shush."

He grinned and then turned to explore the shelves on the other side of the room that were closer to the work tables and attached to the wall above them. They were smaller in number, only three that he could see, and were about the size of a slightly larger than normal medicine cabinet. The jars there were smaller, and it was possible that they contained something else besides honey like the other jars did. When he got to the table he could see various types of dried plants and herbs. He examined the square frames that were at the end of one table, and concluded that they were used to make the honey. Picking up one of the smaller jars, he swiped the dust away to see what was inside and was met with something strange.

Whatever inside of it was purple.

His face scrunched in confusion before he decided to pull the cloth cap off and smell it. Surprisingly, it smelled like honey, but he'd never seen purple honey before. And it didn't smell only of honey. It looked like they'd added some other things to it that made it smell like vanilla, something spicy, and Lavender...Like Lucy.

"Is that purple honey?!"

He jumped, nearly dropping the jar before righting himself and turning to see Lucy, who come to stand next to him and was looking at the jar in his hand with excitement. "You know about this stuff?"

She nodded and smiled. "Its a rare delicacy and its extremely hard to make. I've heard about it but I've never tasted it before. Supposedly it just tastes like regular honey, but the rare color is what makes it expensive."

He looked at the jar in his hand for a moment, before shrugging and sticking his finger into the thick purple liquid. He then swiped a thick glob of it up and stuck it into his mouth. His expression changed immediately into one of shock and wonder.

Lucy shrieked in surprise and horror. "Natsu! Don't eat that! Its old and you don't know what's in it!"

He wasn't aware of her pleas, too absorbed in the taste. It was delicious! It had some kind of woody or mint undertone that brought out the taste of the vanilla and it had a bit of a kick to it. He went to eat more of it before the jar was suddenly taken from his hand. "Lucy! What the hell man, give it back!"

She shook her head, clutching the jar to her chest. "No Natsu, you can't just eat stuff like this. Its thousands of years old and who knows what they could have been adding to it."

He sighed and rubbed his forehead in agitation. "Lucy, honey doesn't spoil. Besides, I didn't smell anything that was dangerous, and there's no little herbs or anything floating in it so nothing was added."

He held out his hand expectantly for the jar, and she reluctantly gave it back to him. He dipped his finger back into it and offered it to her. "Here, have a taste."

She recoiled in disgust. "No way! That's the same finger you just stuck in your mouth!"

He frowned. "Don't be such a baby, now open wide."

"No."

"Lucy..."

"No!"

"Come on Lucy its just a taste, you said you never tasted it before."

"I said no and that's final-"

He moved, and he was suddenly too close to her. She could feel an arm wrap around her waist as he brought his honey coated finger closer to her mouth, a huge grin on his face. "Say Aaaah." He said, in a sing songy voice. She tried to lean her face away from his finger but he only held her tighter. There was clearly no escape but she struggled anyway, which aggravated the pink haired man. "Lucy stop wriggling around like that, you're being dumb!"

She immediately stopped struggling and glared at him. "I'm not dumb-"

The next thing she knew, he'd taken advantage of her speaking and stuck his finger into her mouth. She yelped and her lips closed over his finger in surprise. She sat there for a moment, clearly in shock that he'd actually stuck his finger in her mouth, before realizing that it was still there and turned her head to dislodge it. She succeeded, her lips releasing the digit with a small _"pop"_ sound, but the deed had been done as she began to taste the honey. But, instead of spitting it out, she let the taste spread over her tongue and was surprised to say that she was enjoying it. It certainly didn't taste only like honey, but the combination of the other flavors was very pleasant, almost addictive. She smacked her lips and looked up at Natsu who was grinning, albeit there was a small blush on his face. "See? I told you it was good."

She blushed and looked away from him, but nodded. "It didn't taste like just honey. The bees must have pollinated different plants..."

"See? I told you there was nothing dangerous in it. You should trust me more."

The blonde looked at him, his face beaming with triumph and arrogance and sighed. "I do trust you Natsu, with my life, but that doesn't mean I want your spitty finger in my mouth."

He snorted. "If you can't handle that there's no way you're gonna be able to kiss a guy."

"Huh? I'm sorry I didn't catch that. What did you say?"

The pink haired man stiffened at her too friendly tone and he could see the strained smile on her face as her hand twitched toward the whip on her side. He gulped and looked away, a nervous smile on his face as beads of sweat began to gather on his skin. "Wh-Who me? I didn't say anything. Must've been your imagination."

_"Good answer."_

...

* * *

The daytime hours passed by quickly and soon enough, it was night time. Natsu had decided that the honey was too good to pass up and filled his bags with the regular and purple honey. To his delight, the smaller jars made it that he was able to take every one that he could find. When Lucy tried to protest, he claimed that honey that good and old would be extremely valuable. She reluctantly agreed, but only if he stopped eating it and let her hold on to it. The man had no self control when it came to food and this way they could actually ensure that the honey made it back with them. Surprisingly he did and surrendered the honey to her for safe keeping, even the jar he'd already opened.

Although there wasn't much left in it.

They made it back to the main chamber and discussed their findings with Levy and Gajeel, the latter of which seemingly doing the translations just fine along with the small woman seated beside him. Levy also went and got some honey for herself along with Gajeel. It seemed that it was a favorite snack of his and Pantherlily.

Gajeel and Natsu were now in the cenote fishing for dinner, although at the moment they weren't having much luck. As he watched the water, Natsu thought a lot about what Gajeel said to him in the temple and a frown took over his face. He didn't need to be told that he treated Lucy different from everyone else. He knew that already. She was special, more special than most were to him. She laughed with him, cried with him, fought close to him, bled with him, cooked and ate with him, even slept together, albeit it wasn't very willingly since he did it without her permission...

He didn't have a logical explanation for it. He just couldn't stand the thought of not being close to her. She was always at his side, from the very beginning, and for her not to be there wasn't something that he could ever accept.

His thoughts turned to their little encounter in the "Honey Room". Honestly she was such a drama queen. It was just a little honey, and in the end she even liked it! He could still remember the feeling of her mouth clasped onto his finger, a small blush on her face...

_Oh..._

He shifted in his seat, a blush of his own blooming over his face. Ever since then, he's been feeling... _uncomfortable_. He was attracted to her, there was no doubt about that. He was also no stranger to the heat that accompanied that attraction, especially lately. But this heat was almost too much, and that was saying something since he ate fire for breakfast. He'd been in danger of getting multiple erections while watching her, and it wasn't like she was doing anything seductive! Simple things like drinking water had suddenly changed into her pouring the water all over herself while wearing a white T-shirt in his mind. And when she was trying to fix her pony tail, it turned into a show of her flipping her hair in slow motion, a coy smile on her face.

_Oh._

_Oh no..._

_It was happening again..._

He shifted, trying to find a comfortable position since his pants seemed to be shrinking in size...

He heard footsteps, and before he could look up he was suddenly kicked into the water. He rose to the surface and sputtered, spitting the water out of his mouth as he glared up at his fellow Dragon Slayer, who was the obvious culprit. "The hell did you do that for asshole?!"

"You were being gross. I don't care if you have fantasies about Blondie but you better stay the hell away from me when you do! There will no late night wanking in that tent ya hear me?!"

The pink haired man's face turned red and he tried to protest but Gajeel cut him off. "Save your excuses. I can smell the pheromones you were putting off. That's gross."

Apparently caught, Natsu said nothing before swimming to the edge and climbing out of the water. The heat was still there, he could feel it, but the unexpected dip into the cool water had dampened it somewhat.

And his boner was gone.

That was a plus.

He decided not to dry his clothes off since the cold feeling was working to his advantage. Gajeel had already returned to his seat and seemed to be glaring at the water. After a few moments, he grumbled to himself and looked at Natsu. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but we need to work together."

Natsu looked at him from the corner of his eye, clearly suspicious. "Oh yeah? For what?"

Gajeel ran his hand through his hair in frustration and looked away, a small blush on his face. "We need to be each others cock-blocks."

_"...What?!"_

The older man glared at him, clearly not willing to put up with any crap. "You heard what I said, don't make me repeat it."

"But that's crazy!"

"No, me taking off with Levy would have been crazy, but you stopped me. On purpose. Think about it, what better way to keep us in line than for us to get in each others way? You obviously don't want to face that you're in love with Lucy-"

"Shut up!"

"And the Shrimp...Well, that's a whole 'nother thing. But it'll work. It already has. I can't trust you to keep yourself on track, and soon enough, I won't be able to either."

Natsu was about to deny everything Gajeel was saying until he caught the last part of what he said. "...What do you mean soon enough?"

Gajeel stiffened and sighed. He hadn't meant to let that part slip, but he guessed now was a better time than any to drop the knowledge of their impending doom onto him. If not for him, then for Lucy, because he didn't want her to get hurt. "Look...There's a lot to this stuff that I haven't told you yet, not that you've listened to any of the stuff I've already told you. But this time is different, and I need you to pay attention because whether you like it or not, if you don't shape up, Lucy WILL get hurt."

Natsu glared, and at first, anger began to bubble up at the thought of Lucy getting hurt. But then it calmed somewhat when he realized that Gajeel was genuinely trying to help instead of being an asshole. He admitted that in the past he hadn't been receptive to his advice, but after experiencing Gajeel nearly drowning him and Levy's near kidnapping, he figured it was about time for him to start taking what he said seriously. If it can happen to an asshole like Gajeel, he didn't want to imagine what it would be like for it to happen to him.

He's traveled all over, and if he really wanted to take Lucy somewhere they couldn't be found, they wouldn't be. There were plenty of places. The mountains for one. There were plenty of cave systems. But she wouldn't like that because she hated the cold, so that was out. He knew she loved the beach, but there was always a risk of storms tearing the place apart. The forest was always the best option. She would miss their friends but she would have him, her best friend, so she'd be okay. Once Happy and Charle finally got together he would live with her, so he wouldn't have to worry about the flying feline blabbing their location. The forest would satisfy all of their needs. Food, water, privacy, the works. Maybe he could take her where he grew up with Igneel. That was a great spot, and no one knew where it was except him. It was near a lake and a lot of animals visited, so it was a great hunting spot. He could build them a nice house, after all, he built his.

She'd want luxuries, but that was okay. He'd give her whatever she wanted. Sooner or later though, she would want children. He'd thought adopting would be great, except that social workers and all that jazz would want to inspect the house and know where they were. But that was the easy part. He could give her children, even better that they have children together because they would be a combination of both of them. Smart and strong. Lucy would make an amazing mother, and she'd look even more beautiful when she gets pregnant. He could see her sitting in a rocking chair, her one arm full of their first pink haired child, a toddler, while she was round with their second. She'd be telling them one of her stories as she stroked her swollen belly with her free hand, the one with her guild mark. And her face would light up in delight when she felt the still growing baby within her kick. And she'd smile, God she was beautiful when she smiled...That'd be a nice future...

Wait.

What was stopping him from having it?

Oh yeah.

_Nothing._

He stood up, not caring that he'd just knocked his fishing pole into the water and made his way toward the stairs. It wasn't important. All that mattered was that he needed to see his Lucy.

His Lucy.

Huh...

He liked the sound of that.

However, he found himself unable to move any further as a large hand gripped his arm. "Oh no you don't. This is exactly what I was afraid of."

He looked behind him to see the frowning face of Gajeel, and he suddenly remembered where he was. "What are you talking about bolt breath? Afraid of what?"

Gajeel didn't answer, only shook his head in what appeared to be disbelief before finally speaking. "You didn't hear a word I said a few minutes ago did you...I explained everything, and you weren't even listening. At least now I know why you were being quiet now..."

Natsu frowned. "What are you talking about? Listening to wha-"

"What is the last thing you heard me say?"

He thought for a moment before answering. "You were talking about Lucy getting hurt because of something."

Gajeel cursed under his breath. "I was speaking for ten minutes after I said that, and you didn't hear a thing. What were you thinking about after that?"

Natsu hesitated to answer, not liking where things were going. "I was thinking about how I didn't want to end up almost kidnapping Lucy like you almost did with Levy. Then I thought about the places where I would hide her because I know a lot of good spots, and then I was worried about building a house, and then kids and Lucy was pregnant..."

His voice started trailing off as the vision from before started coming back. She was rubbing her belly, and she turned to him and gave him that smile, and told him to come over and feel the baby kicking-

A sudden pain in the back of his head snatched him right out of the vision and back to the present, where Gajeel had an angry look on his face, his fist clenched in front of him. "Snap out of it! Don't let _the Dragon_ suck you in. It'll show you enticing images to make you do what it wants you to do."

He tugged Natsu back to their seats with him and kept his grip on his arm. He sighed harshly and ran his other hand through his hair in frustration. "This is bad. Usually if you're snapped out of it its fine, but you slipped right back under in almost no time at all..."

When he said that, it became all too clear what he'd been doing. He realized with horror that while he was thinking about how bad it would be for him to do what Gajeel did, his instincts had taken them over, and made him see the appeal of taking Lucy away. And, if what Gajeel said was true about him slipping back into the vision, well...

He could more than likely call himself good and fucked.

The Iron Dragon Slayer looked at him, and knew that Natsu was finally understanding just how bad the situation was. "Look, I don't want to go through all of that explanation again, so I'll water it down for both our sakes. What you were thinking, was what dragons think about when they are considering making a nest. Male dragons cater to their _Queens_ , which is what female dragons are called. They will make their living arrangements according to what their _Queen_ likes and practically worship them. Wendy is lucky. Female dragons never go through what we're suffering, so she won't have to deal with this. In exchange for catering to them, males get their full attention and time. Its why we want to take them away and hoard them to ourselves, because we're selfish fuckers."

Natsu gulped but stayed silent, something Gajeel was grateful for. "And soon, when the moon turns full, it'll get worse. The full moon makes _the Dragon_ stronger, and near impossible to control. Rational thoughts? Gone. During that night, only _the Dragon_ rules your mind, and it will want its _Queen_."

The grip on Natsu's arm grew tighter and Gajeel clenched his teeth. "This is why we have to work together. In seven days, the full moon comes. Until then, we have to keep each other from losing control. _The Dragon_ won't care about your fucked up feelings, or if she resists. _It'll do whatever it has to do in order to get what it wants."_

Natsu's face lost all color when he realized the implications of Gajeel's words. "No...There's _no way_ that I could _ever_ -"

"WAKE UP!"

Natsu jumped at the sudden shout, staring at Gajeel in surprise. He looked pissed off. "This isn't a matter of if it _could_ happen! Metalicana has _seen_ it happen. I wasn't the first one he trained in Iron Dragon Slayer magic. He told me that the kid before me didn't heed his warnings, and when he found a girl he liked, he did everything we're doing right now. She didn't want him, but he was too far gone to care, and when the full moon came around, he lost control...And when he did, he didn't just succeed in kidnapping her, _he raped and accidentally killed her because she was fighting back._ They executed him, and from then until the time Metalicana forgave himself enough to take me in, he hadn't trained anyone. That's why when it came time to warn me, _he kicked my ass to make sure I listened_."

He looked down and clenched his teeth. "That's why we need to be in this together. No bullshit, no arguing, just keeping each other from that reaching that point. We might not like each other all that much, and personally I think you're a pink haired little shit that couldn't tell his head from his ass, but we're both Fairy Tail, and we're family, including Lucy and Levy. We protect our family from any danger, even if that danger is ourselves...Right?"

Gajeel released the hold he had on his arm, and held his fist out to him, waiting for him to reply.

The pink haired man stared at it for a moment, before taking his own fist and gently knocking against his fellow Dragon Slayer's. "Right."

Gajeel nodded and went back to trying to catch some fish, before he was suddenly kicked into the water. He immediately swam up to the surface and looked up at the grinning mage. "What the hell was that for Pinky?!"

"You didn't think I would forget about you kicking me in the water earlier did you?"

Gajeel's jaw dropped, and Natsu roared in laughter. And just like that, the tension was gone, and everything was at peace again.

For now.

...

* * *

Hey guys! Sorry for the wait! Like I said before, I had to unexpectedly babysit my sister, and yesterday I wasn't feeling so well and passed out before I could finish. I was supposed to include one more part for this, but it wasn't important enough to delay the posting another day, so I decided to just add it in the beginning of Chapter 8. Don't worry, I'm not dead, and I will finish this. I have every intention of it. Thanks again for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER: FAIRY TAIL AND ALL OF ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO HIRO MASHIMA AND NOT ME. THE ONLY THING I CAN CLAIM IS THE PLOT AND THE OTHER CHARACTERS.

I'm so sorry guys! These passed few weeks I've been back and forth to the doctor so I couldn't really find the time to update. But don't worry I'm okay! And I wanted to say thank you all for the kind words and your continued interest in my story! I also want to say thanks for over 250 followers, 133 reviews and 133 favorites! I couldn't have possibly imagined the amount of love this story would receive! So thank you, thank you, thank you! :D

_Summary:_

_When Levy invites Lucy and Natsu on a mission to translate wall carvings from an ancient temple, they accidentally invoke the "Trials by Nature", a series of tests that an ancient tribe used as a way to initiate members into adult hood. They must conquer the twelve basic animal instincts, while trying to reign in the feelings that the trials invoke in them._

...

* * *

Lucy sighed contently as she snuggled into her blankets and sleeping mat. It'd been a hard first day of translating, especially since the room was so big. Luckily for them, the ceiling didn't have any carvings on it. She wasn't extremely scared of heights but that didn't mean she was eager to climb a ladder either. For heaven's sake she had Celestial and Water Magic, none of which allowed her to _fly_.

That train of thought reminded of her of the time she first attempted to learn Transformation Magic with Natsu. Well, it was more like she went there and Natsu was somehow there as well and ended up trying with her. She remembered how Mira had changed into a variety of forms, including a fish which Happy enjoyed immensely. To Lucy's horror and disappointment, she had failed because she was a Holder Type Mage, which made it really difficult to wield her magic without an object to channel it. To this day, it burned her deeply that she had been unable to transform while her two favorite pranksters had.

And boy did they never let her forget it.

For days afterward, the duo of Natsu and Happy would randomly terrorize her by transforming into different people; ranging from herself to even her land lady, which scared the bejeezus out of her. That had been the last straw. She could handle them rubbing salt in the wound by teasing her with their friends, but scaring her with her land lady, who she very much feared because of her rent problems, wasn't gonna go unpunished. After that, she gave them a bad enough tongue lashing mixed in with a few lumps to their heads that they never attempted it again.

She turned onto her back and lightly rubbed her stomach. She was waiting for Gajeel and Natsu to come back with fish for dinner, and Levy was outside getting in a bit of practice with her magic. That got Lucy thinking. Perhaps she would give Transformation Magic another try when they got back to Magnolia. Now that she could use Water Magic, her magic was a lot more flexible than it had been all those years ago when she first tried. Mirajane would no doubt be eager to help, just as she had been back then. The demonic bar maid wouldn't resist a chance to help, but it was more likely so that she could stick her cute nose into Lucy's love life, as nonexistent as it was. But Lucy would put up with Mira's attempts at pairing her off with her pink haired partner if it meant that Lucy can learn more magic.

Speaking of which, she thought as she sat up, there was one thing that she'd been putting off since they arrived at the temple. Looking toward her bag behind her in the corner, she reached inside of it and rooted around until her hand came in contact with the spine of a book. Grabbing a hold of it, she pulled it out and came face to face with the source of her reluctance.

The book on Dragon Customs.

Oh boy.

This had been a huge issue for her to think about. On one hand, yeah, she did want to know why Natsu was acting weird. But on the other hand, she was scared of what she might find. She didn't want to think that something that dealt with his magic or how he was raised with Igneel was the cause of his behavior. If anything, up until the extra clinginess, his behavior had been nearly exactly the same in her opinion. She did acknowledge that he definitely touched her more often, and the recent incident when he snuggled a little too close to her in bed wasn't really any different besides the moaning, groping and hopefully unintentional grinding...

Yeah, she was _really_ convincing...

Not.

She sighed but still didn't make a move to open the book. She turned it over in her hands. It was about the size of a diary of sorts and leather bound. It didn't look intimidating in the least, but she firmly believed in the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover."

The information inside could be life changing, and maybe not in a good way.

Doubt, something she'd never had about Natsu, had been planted, and began creeping into her mind like the blackened roots of an evil tree. They gripped and strangled the immovable trust she had in him, and she could feel it being infected with unthinkable and irrational thoughts. Like what if the friend she knew, the friend who changed her entire life, wasn't the real him? What if his personality, was just something influenced by his magic or derived from growing up with Igneel? She didn't want to think that her entire relationship with her best friend, could be nothing but a byproduct of some kind of wacky Dragon Slayer thing.

But the thoughts grew and echoed in her mind. Her heart was thundering in her ears, her hands which held the book began to shake as a cold sweat broke out over her skin. Tunnel vision gripped her, where she could see nothing but the book, its cover taunting her, begging her to open it and reveal that everything she held dear was a lie and that her best friend didn't exist-

"Lu-chan!"

Lucy jolted, suddenly thrust out of her state of near panic and turned to Levy, who had stuck her head in the tent, with a nearly wild look in her eyes. "Y-Yeah?"

Immediately, the questioning look on the smaller woman's face became concerned. She quickly moved the rest of the way into the tent and zipped it closed behind her. It gave them some privacy and security, even though Natsu and Gajeel weren't there to eavesdrop. "Lu-chan? What's wrong? You look really spooked."

The blonde took a few shaky breaths before sweeping a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She took a few moments to gather herself together, before relaying her thoughts to Levy, who listened quietly and patiently waited until Lucy was done, something the Celestial Mage appreciated fully.

At the end of her tale, Levy took a deep breath and sat next to her troubled friend before giving her a hug, which the blonde eagerly returned before leaning back and looking her straight in the eyes.

"Lu-chan, I've grown up with Natsu. The same guy that he is today, is the same kid that I knew all those years ago. He's just added puberty to the mix."

Lucy snorted softly at that and smiled a bit before Levy continued on.

"And, even if his behavior is caused by some Dragon Slayer thing, we can't forget that that is only a _part_ of him. Just as Solid Script Magic is a part of me, and Celestial Magic is a part of you. In lots of ways, our magic influences who we are today. I love words and literature, and you will always keep your promises. But you have to remember that our magic doesn't _define_ us. Just like it doesn't define _him_. Even if he is a little bit more touchy or grabby now, which _may be_ because of his magic, it won't ever stop him from being the person that he is; A loyal mage of Fairy Tail who would never back down from a fight if his family was in danger even if it killed him."

Lucy looked up at her friend, feeling much better than she had before and gave a small grin. "Except for Erza?"

Levy nearly choked before laughing boistrously, Lucy joining her before nodding in agreement with her blonde friend. "Right, except for Erza. He'd rather eat his shoes before pissing off Erza."

The two women shared a few more laughs and giggles before Levy picked up the book, which Lucy had unknowingly sat down and gave her slightly serious look. "But, all jokes aside, we really need to read this. Who knows what kind of information it will hold?"

Lucy nodded before a thought hit her. "Wait, how come you've never read it before? It had to have been in the Library for a while."

Levy shook her head, her blue hair gently swaying with the motion. "Not on the shelves it wasn't. It was actually donated to the Library about two weeks ago. Since I usually help out during my visits, I helped bring them in. I'd heard that it came from an old building that was due to be demolished. Volunteers helped clean the place out and found a bunch of books in a cellar that was turned into some kind of research workspace. Some were in pretty bad shape and had to be rebound and restored before being available to the public. And of course, make sure that nothing was cursed or hid any spells that were dangerous."

Well that made sense. You never knew if there used to be a madman planning world domination using that stuff. After all, they had plenty of experience with people of those sorts. "So you waited to check it out?"

"Yup. I asked the Librarian before I came to look for you and she said it had been put up today. I was on my way to get it, but of course, I got distracted when I found you sprawled out on the floor."

Levy grinned as Lucy, turned away slightly, an embarrassed blush on her face. "The book was being difficult..."

The bluenette giggled lightly at her friend's expense. "Nevertheless, we have it now, and we should at least read some of it before Gajeel and Natsu get back. Particularly since we're currently out of their hearing range. If they knew we had this, well, Gajeel anyway, he'd tear it to shreds. He seems to know a lot more than he's letting on, and he seems keen to keep stuff like this to himself."

"Well naturally, we have to defy that." Lucy said, a sly grin slowly spreading across her face.

Levy's face mirrored hers, a twinkle of trickery in her eyes. "Naturally. We couldn't call ourselves women of Fairy Tail if we didn't take every chance to defy stubborn men."

With that, both women clad in their sleeping clothes bundled together and opened the book, putting it closer to the Lacrima powered lamp so that they could see better. They shared a glance at each other before turning back to the book and opening it. Levy took the initiative and began reading aloud.

_~A Guide to Dragons and their Customs~_

_~Written by Lucas Aldred, the Water Dragonslayer~_

Levy and Lucy looked shared an astonished look. If this had been written by a Dragonslayer, then there had to be loads of information from his point of view of not only being taught by a Dragon, but his experiences growing up as a Dragonslayer.

They would have front row seats to his thoughts and experiences.

Turning back to the book, Levy resumed reading.

_~To Whom it may concern~_

_I am not claiming to be an expert on Dragons. In fact, with war looming over the horizon, I fear that there won't be any in the future. But for the moment, I am simply writing about what I observed and experienced personally, so this is more like a journal. I am writing this so that others can be well versed and more prepared than I was. My name is Lucas Aldred. I am under the care of Levia, the Water Dragon, though that is not where I started out._

_My own parents had given me up as a child to the local church. They were young and could not afford to feed me. When I was three years old, I showed signs of having magic and was swiftly ostracized by the adults. At that time, the church viewed magic as a sign of the Devil, but because I was a child and had committed no sins, they allowed me to stay. Though they made sure my stay wasn't a pleasant one._

_At the age of five, I was awakened swiftly from my bedding and dragged outside. It was night, yet the town was alight by a fire so bright that it made the night appear as day. On my journey I noticed others being forced toward the light, mostly homeless who also had magic. It appeared as if magic was frowned upon not only by the church but by most citizens there. It was then that I noticed the monstrous creatures that stood at the town's edge._

_**Dragons.** _

_They were standing there, the blazing inferno casting a glow on their magnificent forms and revealing their variety of features. I was scared witless of course, but also in awe since I'd never seen such a creature before._

_We were put into a small group. There were about ten of us in total, and one by one, mages were taken by one dragon each, and as soon as one was chosen they were whisked away, presumably never to be seen again._

_I was the last one left, and as I stared into the eyes of the beast before me, somehow, I didn't feel any reason to fear him. I knew that I should, but I just couldn't find it in me to fear those eyes. Before I knew it, I too was whisked away. It is then that I was chosen by Levia, the Water Dragon, to be under his care, and to be taught his magic._

_I learned years later that what I been through was "The Culling." It was a practice that some towns did every few years where they gathered up the magic users and tossed them to the Dragons to deal with, so that their town would be spared from their raids. To them, mages were throw away people. Not even human. A bartering chip to save their own hides. Sacrificial lambs to the jaws of the lions._

_But I was grateful._

_As it turns out, the Dragons who visited were not going to feast on the mages they took. They were going to raise us, teach us their magic, and treat us like not only people, but like Dragons._

_And more importantly, like family._

_This is where my story truly begins._

Both women were glaring at the page as though it had personally offended them. It was sickening how deep the prejudices ran back then, and even now. In a country like Fiore, magic was the norm and was completely accepted and welcomed. But in other places like the country of Bosco, Magic was considered a sin against God and a sign of the Devil. The current Royal Family of Fiore had fought in Magic's favor and won, making it a safe haven for mages who came from less than favorable countries who despised magic.

When Levy turned the page, Lucy was happy to see a Table of Contents page. At least with this, they would be able to find what they were looking for, if it was labeled by the customs they were searching for specifically. Of course, they would come back and read through the rest, but at the moment they were too eager to find answers for their specific questions.

_~Table of Contents~_

_~Dragons~_

_1\. Hierarchy...pages 2-5_

_2\. Territory...pages 6-10_

_3\. Family Bonds...pages 11-14_

_4\. Strength...15-16_

_5\. Hoard...17_

_6\. Female Dragons...18-22_

_~Dragon Slayers~_

_1\. Growing Up...27-33_

_2\. Scent...34-39_

_3\. Instincts...40-47_

_4\. Hoarding...48-53_

_5\. Making a Nest...54-60_

"Well, at least he makes it easy for us." Lucy said as she read through the Table of Contents. "Though I'm not sure which one to go for first, since this would be something another Dragon Slayer would probably recognize easily..."

Levy's eyes scanned the page for a few moments before settling her finger next to the chapter she wanted. "How about 'Hoarding'? I wanna know why Gajeel's house is such a mess!"

Lucy turned to her and frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Levy's eyes widened in shock. "You've never been to his house?"

The blonde grinned and her face moved closer to Levy's. "Well, _I've_ never had a reason to go there."

Catching on quickly to the implied innuendo, the blue haired woman blushed furiously and playfully shoved the giggling mage's shoulder. "Be serious Lu-chan! I'm just genuinely curious! I mean, you always tell me about how messy Natsu's house is, and now it just may turn out that that habit could be attributed to their magic."

Lucy thought it over and now she too was genuinely curious. At first she thought Natsu being a pack-rat was just something that was purely him, but now that Levy filled her in on Gajeel's own habit it was becoming clear that that wasn't the case. "Well, now that I think about it, it does seem weird. But before we read that, I'm actually really curious about the section on Female Dragons. From what we saw, Grandeeney was the only female Dragon among the others at the battle of Tartarus."

Levy's expression immediately became interested as her eyes sparkled in curiosity. "Oh that's right! I always wondered about Grandeeney. I felt bad for Wendy when they had to leave."

Lucy nodded and began flipping the pages to the section on Female Dragons. After a moment, she quickly found the page and began reading.

_~Female Dragons~_

_The first time I encountered a female Dragon, was one of the most terrifying moments in my life. Technically, the first time I encountered one, I actually encountered a Nest of them, fifteen in number and just as terrifying as the males. They were just as diverse as the males were as well. Most were adults, but I could see a few "Princesses" among them. It was that day that I learned that adult female dragons were called "Queens", and for good reason._

_I was still a lad then, about nine years old. I was in Levia's territory and roaming around, still trying to familiarize myself with everything since it was a large area. I was very safe, I'd already started my training in Water Dragon Slaying Magic, and I didn't fear the local predators._

_They didn't dare attack anything covered in a Dragon's scent._

_My sense of smell still needed fine tuning and with Levia's lair being so close to the ocean, all I could smell was the salty air. I hadn't recognized the danger until I very literally stumbled into it. I'd slipped and fallen down a large hill that led to a clearing._

_And into a Queen's claws._

_I still remember how she looked, even years later. She was quite beautiful for a Dragon. She had a slightly rounded head, a crest of finned spikes adorning it and traveling down her spine and ending at her long tail. She was black in color but her eyes were a solid yellow. Her hide was armored entirely with obsidian scales made of carapace that seemed to ripple with colors in the light along her body. Her arms and legs ended in thick talons that were bigger than my entire body. Her feathered wings were extended slightly in surprise at me landing in in her clawed grip._

_I hadn't known then, but females roamed in herds through various territories for protection against pushy males until they decided to mate. Males didn't do that. I asked Levia once why he seemed to be the only dragon around and he told me that Dragons needed their space from each other or they would fight, but that there were some exceptions._

_Of course there was an uproar at my sudden arrival, but it seemed that luck had been on my side. I'd landed in the Empress's claws, the "Queen of Queens" so to speak. She led the herd and decided that she would keep me. Those next few hours, were spent being fawned over by the Empress and her herd of females._

_I won't lie. It was quite a pleasant experience. For the first time with respect to Levia, I was being treated like I was actually of value to someone, and they were all too happy to groom me, fill my belly, and make sure I was well taken care of._

_Naturally, that didn't go over too well with Levia when he found out. He was nearly overwhelmed when he came to retrieve me. The Queens were up in arms the moment they caught a whiff of him, before he carefully explained that I was his son and how he'd been looking for me. They didn't believe him until I confirmed it._

_They were sad to see me go and Levia gave me a good tongue lashing when we came home. I never saw them again, but after that, Levia made sure I never roamed without first checking to see if there were any herds passing through his territory._

_Queens don't hold territory unless they are mated to the male who owns it. If not they more often than not roam in herds for protection until they are charmed into mating by a pursuing male._

_A male will court a Queen while she is in his territory and if he succeeds, she will stay with him while the rest of the herd moves on. If he does not succeed and continues to pursue, the herd will turn on the male and sometimes kill him if he persists._

_Male dragons are not known for taking no for an answer and strength in numbers is sometimes the only defense against a pushy male with a one track mind. It is rare for an un-mated Queen to roam alone, but if that is the case, it is more than likely that she will go into hiding until a herd comes across her and she joins them._

After Lucy finished reading, she didn't know how to feel. It was all very interesting to read about. She never would have imagined that Dragon society had so many odds and ends. It was much more complicated than she had ever thought.

"Hey, Lu-chan?"

Lucy's thoughts were cut off as she heard Levy's soft call. At first she was concerned that something was the matter, but all thoughts of that were rested when she saw the awe and wonder in her eyes, the look she would always get when she learned something particularly interesting and new. "Yes Levy?"

The bluenette turned to her, grinning as if she knew something that Lucy didn't. "I know it sounds crazy, but I think I can apply the Dragon's way of life to our own. Hear me out!" She said as she spied Lucy attempting to discredit her. The blonde closed her mouth and shrugged. "The floor is open to you."

Levy giggled and nodded to her in thanks. "Okay, so when I first heard about female Dragons traveling in herds, it reminded me a lot of Fairy Hills because its an all female dorm, right?"

Lucy nodded, urging her to continue.

"Right. So, I also thought about all of the women who live there. Me, Juvia, Wendy, etc. Juvia and I would be "Queens" while Wendy, because she is younger, would be a "Princess". I want you think. Who, out of all of the women there, would be the "Empress?"

Lucy was surprised at first by the question and shifted herself into a more comfortable position before genuinely thinking about it. Fairy Tail women were strong and had a variety of personalities, there was no doubt about that. But there were some that rose above the rest. No offense to her best girlfriend, but Levy wouldn't be the "Empress." While the bluenette definitely had sass to her, it simply wasn't in her character to outright reject someone. If that were the case Jet and Droy would've stopped hounding her years ago.

Juvia wasn't either. If she were a Dragon she'd more likely attack other females if she thought they were interested in the same male she was interested in. Wendy was too young, and Cana was a love em' and leave em' type of girl. She encouraged one night stands like a Nun encouraged prayer. Bisca was married, Lucy herself wasn't living at Fairy Hills, and Lisanna lived with Mira and Elfman.

If Mira had lived in Fairy Hills, Lucy would definitely have considered her the "Empress." Mira was strong, and had the type of personality it took to lead. The only hiccup was that Mira, like Cana, encouraged people to get together, rather than trying to protect their chastity. For God's sake she was already plotting to get Romeo and Wendy together. That and the fact that she didn't live there, took her out of the running. As Lucy mentally went through the list, there was really only one person that would satisfy all of the requirements it took to be the Empress.

Lucy's eyes widened in realization, and Levy grinned.

"Oh my God...Its Erza!"

Levy giggled and nodded. "Yup! Erza would definitely be the "Empress." She enforces the rules regularly and makes sure our "chastity" is protected. That and pretty much everyone fears her. Not even Gajeel dares to step foot inside, and when he comes to pick me up he makes sure that he knocks and waits for Erza's approval. She gets annoyed when he comes early in the morning for missions but can't argue because he follows the rules and has a legitimate reason for being there."

Lucy couldn't help but agree with Levy's logic. It made sense after all. It was amusing to see how similar their lives were to a Dragon's in that aspect.

"You know Lu-chan, if you would move into Fairy Hills, I bet Natsu would stop pestering you. We could see each other all the time, have more girl time, and pay significantly less rent. For goodness sake, Erza is renting five of the rooms and is still paying less rent than you are."

Lucy sighed. It was true, definitely. The pros of moving into Fairy Hills far outweighed the cons. It was a lot closer to the guild for one. She would have her privacy, mostly, and she would save _so_ much money on rent. And, if she needed more space she could rent another room like Erza did and _still_ save a hell of a whole lot more than she was now.

She could actually buy groceries and not have them disappear overnight because of Natsu and Happy's voracious late night snacking. She could actually go clothes shopping, and not cry on the inside when she was forced to miss a sale because of low funds. She would still be in the black even if they were forced to pay money out of their reward because of damages. It was perfect.

Except that she would miss Natsu terribly.

The pink haired knuckle head always made sure she was alright. His presence in her life was constant. He was always at her side. To not have him pop in on her to see how she was doing, or to ask her to cook for him and Happy, or to even climb into her bed at night just because he liked her mattress, wasn't something that she could ever accept. Not even for a near perfect life at Fairy Hills.

Because it wouldn't be perfect without him there.

"Sorry Levy, I know that it would be perfect. Trust me, I've thought about it. But I love my apartment on Strawberry Street. There's no way I could leave it."

Instead of looking disappointed, the Solid Script Mage grinned, and Lucy didn't like the twinkle in her eye.

"Don't you mean that there's no way you could leave _Natsu_?"

Lucy's cheeks turned red as a blush overtook them and she looked away, choosing not to respond as the safest way to go. Levy laughed at her friend's expense, and Lucy pouted slightly at being made fun of before Levy smiled, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder in comfort."I'm just teasing Lu-chan, but, it does seem like you're a lone "Queen" being charmed by a male Dragon like in the book."

Lucy playfully glared at Levy but said nothing. Even she was smart enough to see the comparison. She couldn't deny that while she complained about Natsu putting a dent in her finances, he always made sure to make up for it in some way. If he cleaned out her fridge, he chipped in for food or even paid for her groceries outright. If she was behind on rent he helped make up the difference. Especially if it was his fault that she was short.

In fact, he frequently asked that she move in with him and Happy so that she wouldn't have to pay rent since he owned his house. They practically lived together already and if she was being truly honest, she wouldn't really mind if the house was bigger and updated a bit. They knew each others ins and outs already and they would get along quite easily. He didn't even care if she wore his clothes. Hell if they were gonna be taking up space in her apartment they were free game. It was payback for him always playing in her clothes anyway...

No, that wasn't totally true. She wore them because she liked the way they smelled just like him, like he was always at her side even when he wasn't. It made her feel safe. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that Natsu was doing a pretty good job charming her...If she was reading a romance novel with this scenario, she'd claim that the characters were already dating.

It was then that an she was reminded of an earlier statement and grinned at Levy, who was suddenly feeling nervous. "You're one to talk. What about Gajeel charming you? I mean, he's brave enough to wake Erza up in the morning to pick you up for missions. Jet and Droy always waited for you at the station if I remember correctly."

Levy blushed. "Th-That's..."

The blonde raised an eyebrow, daring her to come up with an excuse. When Levy couldn't, she huffed and turned away, a blush still on her cheeks. "Oh hush..."

Lucy laughed and picked the book back up. "Now, if we're done picking at each other, can we get back to reading?"

Levy quickly snapped out of her embarrassed funk and settled back beside Lucy. "Want me to read this time?"

"Sure."

She handed the book to Levy, who then flipped to the "Hoarding" chapter on the Dragon Slayer's part of the book. "Levy, shouldn't we check out the Dragon's part of the Hoarding first?"

The bluenette shook her head. "Its best that we read Lucas's point of view of Hoarding, since these are his own thoughts as a Dragon Slayer."

Lucy agreed and settled in closer before Levy began reading.

_~Hoarding~_

_At the time, I didn't know what was going on when I suddenly couldn't bear to be away from Vivian, my first female friend. With no disrespect to Levia, she made much more interesting conversation. With war between the Dragons on the rise, I'd had some contact with other Dragons and their "children", who were mostly guys. I guess this was one of the exceptions that Levia once told me about when it came to being closer to other Dragons. We were to be comrades after all. We had to at least get along. She was not a Dragon Slayer, but she was a Mage, with incredible Seer Magic. Unfortunately, a side effect of this magic was blindness._

_I wish she could see how beautiful she is._

_Short, wine colored hair that framed her heart shaped face. Brown skin that seemed to glow in the sun. Her eyes were gray and unseeing, and on her head was the marking of a third eye, which she used for her magic and to generally get around. She couldn't really "see" but she could sense the things around her due to the Ethernano in the air. Or at least that's what she told me. She was a buxom girl. Curvy in her hips and a more generous bust which in my opinion was far prettier than the delicate wisps women were expected to be. She had strength, confidence, and a tongue so sharp you could almost see a razor's edge on it, but it made her who she was._

_We started off as just acquaintances, since she was volunteering her advice to the Dragons. They valued her abilities because it helped decide their movements before the impending war. She was often alone, and I had taken it upon myself to befriend her. After that, I just couldn't stay away. We quickly became best friends, and did everything together. We moved from town to town with our "parents", so that we could earn money and gather any other magic users to join our cause._

_The few female Dragonslayers that traveled with us gave her a wide berth, so it was usually me who took her shopping for necessities like clothing and things that I never knew women needed, and still make my face grow hot in embarrassment to this day. I'd always liked to save whatever money I earned unless it was for basic necessities. I didn't shop for clothes often unless I didn't have any other choice. But when I was with her, I felt the urge to treat her to nicer things; clothes and better shoes, and even a few cloaks and blankets to keep her warm through the winter months._

_She didn't want to be treated as though she couldn't take care of herself, and that's not how I viewed it. I wanted her to feel comfortable with me, and to think of me as a friend. I'd saved a lot by that time so I surely didn't mind. She often encouraged me to buy something nice for myself, but I wasn't interested in useless baubles or things, though I did have one affliction._

_I hated to admit it, but like my father, I had a tendency to collect things. Levia fancied colorful cloths and fabrics. He liked decorating his lair with them and even gave me some to make clothing as a child. I on the other hand, fancied different colored stones and crystals. Their odd colors and shapes, some glittery, some smooth, with all kinds of textures and formations, fascinated me. Levia often teased me for willingly want to carry around rocks._

_Vivian liked my collection though. She even told me the meanings of the stones I had and their various uses in magic. She couldn't see them, but could tell the difference between them because of their "aura."_

_She took interest in a blue stone she called "aquamarine." Said that it gives insight and mental clarity. Later that day I took the stone to be made into a pendant for her. She was thrilled, and it made me happy that she was happy._

_Within the span of a few weeks, we practically knew everything about each other, as if we'd been friends for years. We made quite the odd pair, as her features were quite different from my own. I was tall, with an unruly mess of shoulder length black hair and pale skin, piled on top of a bad attitude. She was dark, lovely, and short. Very short. Her head barely cleared my breastbone. If she knew that I called her that she would attempt to clobber me while I held her away with my hand._

_By the time two years had gone by, we even slept together. Not sexually of course, but just close to each other. It'd started when she had a nightmare and needed my comfort, and then it never stopped. When I held her in my arms, and breathed in her scent, I felt a peace that wasn't afforded to someone like me._

_I had other friends, and like me, they quickly warmed up to her. At first, I was thrilled that she was fitting in. But as time began to go by, and we got closer, my joy had slowly shifted to jealousy. I couldn't stand that they were in her presence, that her smile wasn't just for me. She was my friend first. They didn't know her like I knew her. They didn't know that she liked to get up early to feel the first rays of sun on her skin. They didn't know that she loved the smell of wildflowers after it rained, or that she secretly wanted to grow out her hair but couldn't since her blindness made it impossible to manage it properly._

_They didn't know those things. But I did. Because she was my friend. My best friend._

_Mine._

_Whenever she went on walks, something she liked to once in a while, I would follow her. Not because I didn't trust her. I trusted her with my life. It was because I needed to make sure she was safe. A Seer was an extremely rare magic, and sought after for all the wrong reasons. Aside from those she didn't have much offensive ability. And other than the dagger that was strapped to a thigh exposed by the slit in her long cotton skirts, she was essentially defenseless._

_I made sure to stay far enough away that her third eye wouldn't sense me, but close enough that I could react in time to any danger that may present itself. Before long she caught on to what I'd been up to, and while she was upset with me I didn't regret it not one bit._

_As time wore on, I just couldn't stay away. She was on my mind every minute of the day. I needed to know what she was doing, and who she was doing it with at all times. I needed her all to myself. It irked me terribly when she was in the presence of another male Dragon Slayer. I had to bite back a growl whenever they touched her. I had to keep myself from whining whenever she had no choice but to leave me behind. Whenever she was within reach, I had to touch her in some way; holding her hand, wrapping an arm around her, or even playing with the ends of her hair. I was addicted to her, and she was none the wiser about my new habits._

_One day a new recruit came over to introduce himself. His name was Rorick, a Sky Dragon Slayer. Sky Dragon magic was mostly for healing but that didn't make him any less of a threat. Especially when he blushed at the sight of Vivian. Something snapped inside me and I hissed at him, he jumped and sort of shrunk in on himself, keeping his eyes low to the ground. Vivian scolded me for not being "nice", but I couldn't bring myself to care._

_That night, the feeling that Rorick was going to going to somehow take Vivian from me festered in my mind. In my arms, she slept unaware of my thoughts. It was then that I decided to take things further to ensure that no one would take her. I'd always been a complete gentleman when we slept together, but that night I felt compelled to cover her in my scent to make sure Rorick and anyone else who may have thought to take her from me got the message; that she was mine._

_It was nearing the end of Spring and the beginning of Summer, so the nights were hot. I rubbed my face into the crook of her neck and shoulder, letting the light layer of sweat that had gathered along with my scent, sink into her skin. When she began to squirm from the uncomfortable heat, I used my magic to leave soft, cooling open mouthed kisses there instead. She immediately settled down and sighed contently. When she snuggled closer, a purr rumbled in my chest. When I was sure that she was fully asleep again, I resumed rubbing my scent into her skin. Only when I was satisfied that she was covered in my scent did I rest._

_When I slept, I would have dreams of going away with her, somewhere no one could find us. I would build us a house, and in time we would have children. The vision of her, round with my child growing in her belly made my heart ache. I wanted it. I wanted it so badly that it physically hurt. Somewhere along the line, I'd fallen in love with her and didn't even know it._

_My late night "scent marking sessions" as I'd come to call them, continued on for weeks, and I thought no one knew. We were around each other often enough that her being covered in my scent was nothing new, and I made sure not to leave any marks when I kissed on her. I never ventured any further than that. I may have left kisses on her skin but I refused to do anything else without her express permission. I hadn't even dared to kiss her lips._

_I did notice though, that seeing her neck made my fangs ache. The thought of sinking my teeth into her neck was extremely pleasurable. Made me happy, even. But not to kill her, for "something else." What that "something else" was I didn't know, so I kept it to myself._

_Some baser part of me purred in delight when I'd taken a chance one night and gently dragged the blunt part of my canines across her throat. She shuddered and gasped and I pulled back, thinking I'd somehow hurt her. To my shock and delight, her cheeks had a rosy hue to them. It quickly became a fantasy of mine to leave little love bites on her. And like my dreams of a life with her, I wanted this fantasy to be a reality. No one around me noticed any change in behavior from me, and I thought I was in the clear._

_Until Levia snatched me up one day out of the blue._

_He knew everything. He'd been watching me the moment Vivian and I first talked. I was extremely embarrassed that he knew the depth of my feelings for her. But his purpose wasn't to embarrass me._

_It was to warn me._

_I'd had no idea that what I'd been doing was actually "Hoarding" Vivian, just like my stones and crystals, but on a much deeper level. He explained that it was something that all Dragons did, but that it was more dangerous. As humans, Dragon Slayers lacked the control over those instincts that Dragons had, and human girls lacked the strength to fight back like "Queens" did. If we weren't careful, male Dragon Slayers could hurt, or even kill a girl if she resisted him._

_The thought of hurting Vivian put everything in perspective for me, and I asked Levia for help. He said that he couldn't help me, especially with the Summer Solstice coming up. But he did suggest that I have a serious talk with Vivian about my feelings. I knew how I felt about her, but I had no idea how she felt about me, and in order to keep her safe. I had to reveal everything._

_That was something I truly dreaded._

When Levy finished reading the chapter, both women looked at each other with stunned expressions on their faces. Along with a light dusting of pink on their cheeks.

Lucas's inner thoughts were certainly interesting, as well as descriptive. The way his thoughts went from normal to obsessive and possessive over Vivian, was almost frightening. He even resorted to stalking her, and if the implications were correct, she wouldn't have been able to stop him if he wanted to have his way with her.

Levy closed the book, having had enough of reading for the night. Especially after reading through Lucas's...well, fantasies about the girl he loved. For a few moments, they said nothing, still letting the information sink in. When Levy began to put the book away, Lucy's soft voice interrupted the action. "Levy?"

The bluenette looked at her, and saw that the blonde looked to be in thought. "Yes Lu-chan?"

Lucy rubbed her arm in nervousness before looking up to meet Levy's eyes. "You...You don't think...I mean, it couldn't be, right?"

Levy frowned in confusion, not understanding what the string of words meant. "What do you mean Lu-chan? What are you trying to say?"

A blush spread over Lucy's face before she straightened up a bit and steeled herself for whatever she wanted to ask. "You don't think, that Natsu and Gajeel could be "Hoarding" _us_ , do you?"

Levy stiffened at the question and both women's eyes met. For another few moments, they kept each others gazes unblinkingly, the question building thick tension between them.

Before it was quickly broken by their simultaneous hysterical laughter.

Natsu and Gajeel?

_Hoarding them?_

HA!

They laughed hard and long. Lucy was unable to sit up straight and ended up falling backwards onto her sleeping mat. Levy was bent over laughing, one hand grasping her gut while the other smacked the blankets repeatedly in the throws of her immense mirth. After a while they calmed enough that the laughter was reduced to chuckles. They were still red faced from the lack of oxygen, and a few tears had even escaped.

There was just no way that those two could ever be capable of doing something like that. Gajeel didn't do intimacy and Natsu didn't seem to know what intimacy even meant.

"Lu-chan, that was hilarious. They may be Dragon Slayers, but I highly doubt that they'd go as far as Lucas did. For all we know, Lucas could have been hoarding this Vivian girl _because_ he had an obsession with her, and not because of whatever instincts Levia told him about."

The blonde nodded in agreement, still smiling from their bout of laughter. "You're right Levy. I mean, he fantasized about her being pregnant with his child and running away with her. No sane person would think things like that right?"

The bluenette nodded. "Right."

Wrong.

...

* * *

I typed all through yesterday and through last night to have this finished. Thank you all for waiting. I hope you like it!

Instead of putting the book part at the beginning of the chapter, I made the entire chapter about them reading the book. The next chapter is the last chapter before the Trials begin, and I'm warning you all now that it'll probably be a bit short just to keep things on track.

By the way, Levia is actually a canon Dragon! He's one of the ones that attacked during the Grand Magic Games. He was blue and had finned attributes so I made him the Water Dragon. Look him up! :D


	9. Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER: FAIRY TAIL AND ALL OF ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO HIRO MASHIMA AND NOT ME. THE ONLY THING I CAN CLAIM IS THE PLOT AND THE OTHER CHARACTERS.

I just wanna say that I'm extremely grateful for everyone who stuck by me through this extremely long wait, my medical issues, my babysitting troubles, and just, everything. Thank you so much. Its been so hard to get the motivation to write when I was feeling weighed down by my issues, but everyone's kind words and understanding helped me to get back on my feet. That said I wanted to try to have an update schedule but with classes already started I might not have as much time as I want to write. But like I said in my author's note, I'm not giving up on this story. I'm gonna finish this no matter what, and with the support that I have from all of you, I know that it will be a great journey. :D

_Summary:_

_When Levy invites Lucy and Natsu on a mission to translate wall carvings from an ancient temple, they accidentally invoke the "Trials by Nature", a series of tests that an ancient tribe used as a way to initiate members into adult hood. They must conquer the twelve basic animal instincts, while trying to reign in the feelings that the trials invoke in them._

...

* * *

Natsu's eyes promptly popped open.

He was awake.

It was in the middle of the night.  _He shouldn't be awake._

He groaned to himself and rubbed his eyes, heavy due to his previous state of slumber. Something had alerted his senses and forced him awake. He would rather close his eyes immediately and go back to sleep, but he refused to do that before reassuring that there was in fact, no danger. The phrase  _"Better safe than sorry"_ , was something Igneel had ingrained in him when he was a boy. Inhaling to see if there were any foreign scents nearby, he found that there were none. He listened, and heard nothing but snores and deep breathing from Gajeel beside him, and the lighter snores of the girls further away in their own tents.

They were safe.

Sighing in relief, the pink haired man settled deeper into his bedding, more than ready to get some well deserved rest. Still focused on everyone's breathing, his ears automatically tuned in to the breathing he knew best, and he smiled to himself. Lucy was deeply asleep, the slight snore and slower heart rate clueing him in. It wasn't often she slept this well while outside of her own home, or even there too. She liked it better if she had something to snuggle up to, often finding her clutching her pillow to her chest or even behind her as if she wanted to be held. Whenever he slept over, which lets face it was nearly every night, he was the one she cuddled up to.

Not that he was complaining.

He picked up the sound of shifting, which he knew that Lucy was prone to do in her sleep, and a content moan as she sleepily found a better sleeping position. She sounded happy for now, and he wished that he hadn't been interrupted from his own sleep. The pink haired man had been having a  _fantastic_  dream, that may or may not have included his busty blonde best friend wearing the maid outfit from their first mission together. And she  _certainly_  hadn't cooked him dinner and fed it to him.

Because he wasn't a pervert.

Not in the least.

He was just glad he didn't have a boner like he had the last time he dreamt of Lucy. That one had been... _Less than pure_. What's worse is that he was in bed with her when he had the dream, even worse is that he'd been hard as a damn rock and poking the blonde's shapely bottom. When he'd woken up he'd assumed he was still dreaming and snuggled up to her, feeling something soft in one hand while he wrapped his other arm around her again.

Then he began to feel the pain of his erection and realized that he was  _awake_ , and immediately got out of bed and headed to the shower to... _handle his business_. Something he wasn't exactly proud of. He was just lucky he hadn't kissed Lucy, otherwise he'd have her foot in his ass and some explaining to do.

He sighed heavily and laid there, letting the melody of Lucy's peaceful breathing and heartbeat lull him back into the land of dreams. His eyes closed, and the vision of her in the maid outfit once again began to take form. Her smiling face and fluttering eyelashes beckoning him-

_SCRRRRAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPEEEEE_

His eyes immediately opened. He'd certainly heard that. There was no way that he could have possibly missed it this time since he wasn't fully asleep. What's worse is that it sounded like it came from right...behind...

His eyes narrowed, and fire crawled up his throat in preparation for a roar. He slowly turned his head, not wanting to startle whatever was behind him. Whatever it was, it'd been sneaky enough to evade both his and Gajeel's senses. When his head was turned enough to see the threat clearly, he stilled.

Black eyes met the glowing red ones of his fellow Dragon Slayer. The older man lay there on his side, eyes wide open and pupils glowing bright in the dark of their tent. His position was askew, nearly horizontal to Natsu's own vertical one, and he'd managed to get completely out of his sleeping bag. Something was clearly wrong, if the man's glowing eyes were anything to go by.

Natsu slowly sat up to ask what was wrong, not wanting to trigger an attack and ruin their tent with a fight. That wouldn't go over too well with either of the exhausted women, who could be quite terrifying when their sleep was disturbed. He opened his mouth to speak until Gajeel's arm, covered in his iron scales with clawed fingers, something he initially missed, suddenly moved. The Fire Dragon Slayer jerked back, ready to dodge an incoming attack, except that the arm never made it to him. Instead it flung out to the side, the claws gripping the dirt and  _pulled_ , dragging Gajeel's body into an even more horizontal position, and making the same scraping sound he'd heard.

Natsu rubbed his eyes, rubbing away any sleep that might have fooled him into thinking that what he saw wasn't real. Had Gajeel's arm really dragged him a few feet? Looking at the ground, he was un-surprised to see that there were multiple clawed marks in the ground. He'd been at this a while. Long enough to tear large holes through the fabric on the floor of their tent to the dirt ground below. Longer than Natsu had initially thought, all without him hearing it the first few times.

He quickly deduced that Gajeel was heading toward the entrance to their tent, which was zipped up to keep and animals out, and to keep them _in._ The zipper was loud enough to alert either one of them if the other was leaving the tent, for any reason. Both men agreed that they would follow the other to make sure that neither took any unnecessary detours to the girls' tent. Which it seemed, that Gajeel was keen on doing since he actually resorted to  _slithering on the ground_ to escape.

So much for being each other's cock blocks.

Natsu frowned, and was about to call the older man out on his bullshit when he realized that something was off. Gajeel's eyes were still wide open, and he hadn't blinked the entire time he'd been watching him. If he was trying to fool him, it wouldn't work. He should have realized that he'd been caught by now.

So why was he still trying?

A quick glance at Gajeel's other arm, along with another glance at the clawed ground showed that his other arm had not assisted at all in his movement. Why was he dragging himself with just one arm? The cat was out of the bag. If he was really that determined to leave despite being found out, why the hell didn't he just get up and leave-

A loud snore ripped through the silence of the tent, before settling back into even breathing.

The  _fuck?_

Looking closer at Gajeel's chest, he could see that his breathing was deep and even. Focusing his ears, they told him that his heartbeat was steady and relaxed as if...

No. He couldn't believe it.

Had to be a trick...

Right?

He frowned, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. He snapped his fingers a few times, hoping that the sound would at least catch his attention.

Gajeel stayed still.

He frowned, and slowly reached his hand toward Gajeel's head. Taking a risk, he slowly moved his index finger back and forth like he'd seen Wendy do to someone who might have a concussion, and they didn't follow his hand's motion. The glowing red eyes made no attempt to follow the movements. His pupils hadn't even expanded or contracted. If he was faking, he couldn't fake an automatic response like that.

Looking closer at the man's unresponsive arm, he winced when he saw signs friction burn. He knew from experience how painful it was. He wasn't a wimp in any sense of the word, but he certainly wouldn't be able to sleep through a friction burn without it at least being treated first. It was nowhere near severe, thanks to the cloth bottom of the tent that hadn't been torn through, but he should still be able to feel his skin stinging. Its almost like the guy was a zombie. He was moving, but the Iron Dragon Slayer showed no other responses to outside stimuli. Not even pain. That only left one conclusion.

_Gajeel was still asleep._

Never in all his years since Igneel had taught him Fire Dragon Slaying Magic, had he ever felt his blood chill as it did then.

The  _Dragon_  in Gajeel had possessed his body in his sleep, when his mind's defenses were at its weakest, and was now trying to escape the tent so that it could get to what it wanted.

Levy.

Sitting back on his sleeping bag, Natsu blew out a ragged breath and ran his hand through his hair in disbelief. Slipping under the  _Dragon's_  control, that was scary enough on its own when he was  _awake_. But the fact that Gajeel couldn't see, hear or even  _feel what he was doing_ , made it even worse. Glancing at the scaled arm, he became even more alarmed when he realized that the  _Dragon_  had even  _activated his magic_ , even if it was only partially, to aid in its mission.

He admitted that at first, he didn't believe Gajeel's talk about what could happen if he didn't control himself. Over the passed few days as things happened, it was slowly sinking in that Gajeel wasn't all talk. And now, it finally,  _truly_ , clicked.

Gajeel had been right all along.

They really needed to look out for each other.

Those glaring red eyes made him uncomfortable, made him feel as though he was in danger. Something began to rise in him, reacting to the threat, and wanting to challenge it head on. He was going into battle mode. He needed to protect himself. No, there was more than himself he needed to protect. Something more precious than himself. He had to protect...

He felt a niggling in the back of his mind and automatically, his ears once again tuned in to Lucy's presence in her and Levy's shared tent. She was shifting again, and he could hear her groan sleepily in frustration. He could practically see her expression: furrowed eyebrows, her pretty mouth pulled down into a cross between a frown and a pout. And to top it all off, her golden hair flared all around her like sunburst. He snorted.

She was a weirdo even in her sleep.

But that's what made her Lucy.

He heard her shift again and he frowned. Why was she having so much trouble getting comfortable? She didn't do that when he slept in bed with her...

He grinned, the niggling in the back of his head turning into whispers. They were suggesting wonderful,  _wonderful_  things. Like, how great it would be to have her in his arms, and how amazing it would be kiss that frowny pout away, and smooth the skin between her furrowed brows. To bury his face into her delicate neck and leave his marks, making her moan not in frustration, but for another reason entirely. Suggesting that maybe...

She'd sleep better with him there.

His body began to move, unaware that his own eyes were now glowing red. As far as he knew, Gajeel would be fine. He no longer mattered. His only concern now was getting out of the tent and into the embrace of his Lucy. She'd be so happy to see him, to cuddle up to him as he gave her the comfort she sought so desperately. She must know that he could hear her shifting around like that. Knew that he would know something was wrong and come check on her. She was calling him, telling him that she was lonely and needed him so that she could sleep in peace.

Who was he to deny her?

And when he got there, she'd reward him for heeding her call. A few snuggles and caresses, coupled with running her hands through his hair, massaging the sweet spot right at the base of his skull. She could always find that spot, even in her sleep. She was weird like that. And maybe, if he was lucky, she'd even reward him with a few kisses, an opportunity to confirm that she tasted just as good, if not  _better_ , than she smelled. How awesome would that be? And most of all, they'd be happy because they would be together, like they always should be.

Because everything was always better when they were together.

_SCRRRRAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPEEEEE_

And just like that, the trance was broken.

Natsu's head snapped to his left, where Gajeel had made more progress in his unconscious journey to the entrance of the tent, and his blood once again ran like ice in his veins.

_He'd slipped_.

And he'd slipped under so  _easily_. Even when he knew the seriousness of Gajeel's situation, the  _Dragon_  effortlessly made him forget that and instead, turned his focus toward Lucy. Looking around, he realized that he'd left his seat on his sleeping bag and got close enough to reach the zipper of the tent.

The pink haired man gulped, trying to swallow the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. This was really getting out of hand. The niggling and whispers in the back of his head suddenly turned into clawing and screaming, the  _Dragon_ inside of him clearly furious that it'd been denied what it wanted so badly.

Taking in and blowing out a ragged breath, Natsu's attention turned towards Gajeel's body. It hadn't gotten to the entrance of the tent yet, but it would if he let it. The flimsy material of their tent was already proven to be no match against the Iron Claws, and there was a possibility that he might gain full use of his body once he got out. He highly doubted that he'd be able to steal Levy away without the use of  _at least_ his legs, and that in itself was bad news. Steeling his frazzled nerves and ignoring the screaming in the back of his mind, he crawled over to the older man and as quickly as he could, pulled him back to his sleeping bag and zipped him in.

He of course, left it open enough so that Gajeel could breathe and thankfully, he didn't struggle. The pink haired man figured that the  _Dragon_  in the older man wouldn't care if he were touched since it was concentrating all of its energy to get to the entrance. It was probably using its nose to guide it outside. For now, his fellow Dragon Slayer's attempt to escape the tent had been thwarted, but Natsu knew that that was just a quick fix. He'd have to watch over him to make sure that the _Dragon_  didn't somehow gain control over even more of the man's body and attempt another escape.

Because the next time, it might succeed.

Looks like Natsu Dragneel wasn't getting anymore sleep that night.

Natsu sighed heavily and put a hand over his face, letting it slowly slide off and land at his side. Going back to his own sleeping bag, he tiredly crawled in and laid on his back, staring at the ceiling of the tent. This was gonna be a long night, and the screaming and clawing still raging in the back of his head wasn't gonna make it easy.

Luckily he had some... _insurance,_  with him.

Reaching around inside his bedding, he found what he was looking for after a few moments and immediately brought it to his nose. He inhaled deeply and the chaos in his head stopped cold. Everything became calm, and the baser part of him purred happily. With his mind at peace once more, he grinned and put an arm behind his head as he pressed his insurance even closer to his nose.

Yeah, it would be a long night.

But at least he had something to pass the time with.

...

* * *

"Hey Gajeel can you pass me those notes next to you?"

Blinking out of his stupor, the shaggy haired man looked up toward the voice that called him, seeing that it was Levy. She was standing on the makeshift ladder he'd made using his magic, her attention focused solely on the runes carved into the walls while her arm was outstretched in his direction. She was clearly expecting him to hand her the notes whether he wanted to or not. Her expression pinched, the magic frames on her nose sliding down slightly from their previous place. Apparently, he wasn't moving quick enough for her.

"Gajeel come on, I really need those notes. I don't wanna lose my place. Hop to it!"

He raised a studded brow at her attitude and grinned.

_Gihi._

Sassy little woman ain't she...

Deciding that he didn't want to suffer any of her wrath, he reluctantly grabbed the pile of notes and pulled himself up from his sitting position. He stretched, wincing slightly when the action irritated his friction burned arm. He still had no idea how that happened and Salamander claimed he didn't know anything.

Yeah fucking right.

And his hair wasn't  _pink._

That fire fucker knew something. More than likely, he didn't want to say anything until they were alone and could talk about it. While he appreciated not having whatever nightly activities he'd gone through aired out in front of Levy and Lucy, he wanted some fucking answers. His arm fucking  _hurt_ , and luckily when he woke up, he was laying on his thick hair and tucked inside his sleeping bag. He wasn't happy that he'd been covered in dirt, but he handled that with a thorough bath. He was just lucky that nothing else had been burned.

It was nearing the end of the day, and surprisingly, nearing the end of their mission. Levy was a whirlwind with words on her own, but adding Blondie to the mix and somehow roping him  _and_ Salamander into translating was making things go much faster than they ever hoped. She and he were on one side, while Blondie was on the other with the pink haired idiot. How the girl managed to get him to sit down and  _actually read_ he didn't know, but he applauded her on her tactics.

Maybe she could teach him something to make the fucker tell him what happened.

Deciding not to worry about it for now, he hopped up a few of the ladder's steps and placed the stack of papers into the bluenette's waiting hand.

"Thanks." She said, eyes still on the runes. He grunted his reply and returned to his previous seat. He was supposed to be helping her translate, but he was thoroughly exhausted and distracted.

And of course it was her fault that he was distracted.

It was hot as usual, though not as hot as it was outside the temple. She wore an outfit reminiscent of beach attire, which made sense since she and Lucy planned to go swimming after finishing off the last of the runes. A white cut off T-shirt, exposing her flat belly and a pair of similarly cut off shorts, probably from an old pair of pants that she no longer fancied. Women, he'd come to discover, were extremely efficient when it came to their clothing. That, however, was not why he was distracted.

From his vantage point, he could see what lie hidden under her shirt.

A black,  _studded_ , bikini top.

Now, he was no stranger to the sexual tension between them. He could freely admit to himself that their normal interactions more often than not ventured into intimate territory. Sometimes he would wrap his arm around her shoulders or waist, sometimes she would brush up against him and grin or press her breasts against his arm. There was even some hair play. She'd tug it a bit to get his attention or mess with him, and he'd do the same, sometimes even letting the silky blue locks curl around his fingers while she read. They always sat close enough that they were fully pressed against each other. He often bought her meals, since she sometimes forgets to eat when she was reading something particularly interesting. She'd even read to him sometimes, her eyes and smile lighting up her face. He'd ignore Pantherlily's looks and sly grins, and he can admit to reveling in Jet and Droy's jealousy.

But there were some things that he can't help but feel she was doing  _on purpose_.

Like that  _fucking bikini-_

"Gajeel?"

Snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes reluctantly moved from the teasing fabric beneath her shirt to her face, which was grinning slightly. She cocked her hip to the side and crossed her arms under her breasts, resulting in them pushing up more.

There was no way she didn't know.

That  _little-_

"Yeah?"

"Was there something you needed me to do for you?"

He blinked.

Something he needed her to do for him?

Yes.

He would very much like her to  _sit on his face-_

"Nah I'm good."

She raised a slender brow, not wholly convinced but decided to take his answer anyway. "If that's the case, then maybe you could get back to work?"

Well now.

She was quite the sass master today.

If she wasn't careful he was gonna spank the sass right out of-

"Che. Don't get cocky Shrimp."

She rolled her eyes playfully, a smirk on her face as she turned around. She waved him off, then used the same hand to brush her bangs from her face.

Hold on.

"Hey Shrimp, where's your scarf?"

She turned back to him and sighed, trying without success to keep the long bangs from falling into her eyes. "I don't know. I can't find it anywhere. I've been trying to find it since this morning. An animal probably snagged it while I wasn't looking. It doesn't matter anyway, I can get another one when we get back to Magnolia.."

She was trying to be nonchalant, but he could tell that she was stressed out about it. The one she'd brought was her favorite; Black with little white polka dots on it, given to her on her birthday by Lucy. She was probably trying to downgrade how special it was because she didn't want to seem like a crybaby, but he could tell that she was really upset by its loss.

Dammit.

He sighed and stood up, carefully reaching back to undo his own scarf. Once it was off, he folded into the style she usually had hers in and bounded up the stairs. By this time, she'd already returned to translating, and was startled by his sudden presence on the stairs. "Gajeel?"

Instead of answering her, he carefully brushed her hair back and placed the scarf on her head, tying it gently into place. She looked up at him, her hair no longer hindering her vision with a red hue on her cheeks.

_Gihi._

"Gajeel...You don't have to-"

"You're right. I don't."

She looked away then, more than likely embarrassed that he had to give her his scarf to stop her complaining, but he wouldn't have that. Gently turning her face back to his, he stared into her hazel eyes, making sure that he had her attention focused only on him, like the selfish bastard he was.

"I don't have to do anything for you. But I  _want_  to. Stop thinking that you can't ask me for help. That's stupid. Its what I'm here for."

Her eyes softened, but there was more he had to say. Things that he could only really admit to himself, but was willing to share with her because he wasn't gonna let her make the same mistakes he made.

"I used to be afraid to ask for help. So afraid that I ended up rejectin' help when it was offered to me. Thought it made me weak, and I was taught that the weak were  _always_  devoured. I thought that the only way to survive was to watch my own back. I learned the hard way that there is always someone waiting with a knife to stab you in it. I bared fangs at everyone, even someone who I didn't realize truly cared for me until it was too late. I ended up in some really bad places, and made mistakes that I  _really_  wish I could take back..."

He paused for a moment to close his eyes, trying not to remember the last time he saw the face of the council woman who wanted nothing but the best for him...His breath hitched and he turned away from her, his jaw clenched in frustration as a curse left his mouth. Why did this have to so  _hard_...

He turned back to her after a few moments and continued on, her attention still focused solely on him.

"It wasn't until Master came, thanks to Juvia's meddling, that I finally realized that getting help didn't make you weak. I finally figured out that, asking for help when you need it, can actually make you stronger. Funny thing, really..."

He brushed a hand through his mane of hair, trying to reign in the storm of emotions and unpleasant memories. "Anyway...Just don't be scared to ask me for help. I already told you that I would make you big. I wouldn't be doing my job if you held out on me."

He turned, preparing to go back to his spot and at least try and get some work done, when small arms suddenly encircled his neck. Turning to look, his view was met with a wall of her silky blue hair, fragrant with the same oils that she used on his. They were almost the same height since he was a few steps down to avoid crowding her on the stepping platform. However, she was still shorter than him, forcing her to stand on the tip of her toes to be eye to eye. Not only that, but because of his distance further down the steps she was leaning against him. He was the only thing preventing her from falling since he had a grip on the hand rails. "Shrimp, this is dangerous-"

She looked up at him, all traces of shame and frustration gone and replaced with sparkling eyes and a content smile.

"Thank you, Gajeel."

And then she kissed him on the cheek.

A small peck, and nothing more, but it was still enough to rock his world all the way to the foundations. All of those heavy feelings disappeared and were replaced with peace, and the alluring scent of Citrus and Orchids. He felt free, like he was falling...

Falling...

"G-Gajeel!"

Opening his eyes, he was able to see the fear in hers, and the ceiling of the room because  _holy shit they were falling!_

With some quick thinking and maneuvering, he was able to get Levy into his arms and push off of the ladder step, back flip into the air and land on his feet.

That was close.

Letting lose a ragged breath, he checked the small woman in his arms to make sure she was no worse for wear.

She was clinging to him for dear life, her eyes wide and mouth agape in surprise. She was no doubt shaken up, but was otherwise fine. He stood up, having landed in a squat to lessen the tension on his knees and looked down at her. "I  _told_  you it was dangerous."

Her head snapped up quickly to look him in the eyes, anger lighting up hers. "Y-You're one to talk! Who gets dazed from a  _kiss on the cheek?!"_

He stiffened and a blush rapidly bloomed on his cheeks. He looked away from her, trying to hide his face from her angry gaze. "Who kisses somebody on a ladder?!"

He looked at her from the corner of his eye, and was pleased to see that her own cheeks had inflamed to resemble his. "S-Shut up! Stupid Gajeel!"

She hid her face in his shoulder and began weakly pummeling his chest in embarrassment, still shouting insults at him. Unbeknownst to her, he was grinning. Not only was he holding her in his arms, but he'd gotten a kiss from her.

Maybe he had a chance with her after all.

_Gihi._

Both heads turned when they heard snickering, and looked to see Lucy and Natsu's attention focused on them. The blonde was currently holding a hand to her mouth, not unlike a certain blue feline, and waggling her eyebrows suggestively. But even her hand couldn't hide the wide grin that had taken up a majority of her face. Even Natsu was grinning, though he noticed there was something noticeably darker about it, more sinister than his usually happy demeanor.

He didn't like it one bit.

Gajeel gave them a fierce glare, and they both turned away. Not out of fear of course, given that he could still see their grins, but as long as they weren't mocking him he was satisfied.

Eventually, both sides calmed down and got back to work. By the time the sun was almost set, they were on the last corner of the last section. Since it was on Lucy and Natsu's assigned side, Lucy offered to do herself. Especially since Natsu decided to take a nap, but that was fine by her, she was almost finished anyway.

There was just one problem.

"Hey Levy?"

The bluenette turned, momentarily distracted from doing Gajeel's hair. The heat of the day along with his long locks had caused the pierced man to sweat terribly, causing his hair to frizz up. He'd been wearing his scarf to prevent this, but had given it to Levy instead. "Yes Lu-chan?"

The blonde looked at the last of the section and winced, before turning back to her. "We um...Have a problem...There's a piece missing..."

Levy's mouth dropped open in shock, and she immediately abandoned Gajeel to race over to the corner, startling the blonde as she examined the spot closely. To her dismay there indeed was a missing piece of the wall, quite small in size but it was enough to hinder them from translating the last few runes.

Sitting back from the wall and onto her butt, the bluenette groaned loudly. This was a  _disaster_. They were tasked with finishing the translations and a  _damn piece was missing._ How the hell had they managed to miss that the entire time?! She grimaced. The mayor and historian would be so disappointed. Not only that, but they might not even get  _paid!_

Levy slumped over in dismay. She could already see all of that precious money flying away from her, no hope of them ever returning to find a new home in her bank account.

Lucy gently patted her back, pitying the frustrated Script Mage. "Its okay Levy, its not our fault, at least, I don't think so. If it was missing before we got here, then its the client's fault for not telling us."

Levy considered what she said and realized she was right. Considering what Mages had to go through to complete missions, no matter how big or small, it was imperative that they be warned and informed of any danger or obstacle that they would or most likely face. In most cases, being informed and prepared meant the difference between life and death. Which, she thought, was why there were laws put up to protect Mages against careless employers who could care less for the people who risk their lives to help them.

Since working at the Magic Council and consequently, helping to get Fairy Tail back on its feet, she'd taken to reading up on the laws to better protect themselves from sticky situations; something they were prone to get caught in. If their employer knew about the missing piece, neglected to tell them, and refused to pay, he would be in serious trouble. Or, if he didn't know about the damage and still refused to pay them, its still his fault because he neglected to check before sending them to the temple. Levy knew that they had been extremely careful not to damage anything in this room specifically, so she knew for a fact that any damage couldn't have come from them. If he thought he could blame them for any damage he had another thing coming.

She had friends in high places,  _and she knew damn well how to use them._

Thinking things over, the bluenette perked up and nodded, her previous mood easily erased and replaced with determination. "You're right Lu-chan. Its their responsibility to tell us if there are things that would hinder the completion of the mission. I mean at the very  _least_  they could have told us a piece was missing on the flyer-"

She stopped then, her mind racing back to when they had first gotten the mission and her eyes widened in realization.

Oh.

_OH._

She was an  _idiot._

Alarmed by Levy's sudden silence, Lucy was about to ask what was wrong when the small woman immediately jumped to her feet and raced across the room to one of her backpacks. She picked it up and just as fast as she had gone, she was back, digging through the large bag with careless abandon. Natsu, who had woken up due to the loud talking, and a disgruntled Gajeel had come over, curious over what had excited the Script Mage. Gajeel leaned over her to get a closer glimpse into her bag. "The hell's got your panties in a twist Shrimp?"

Her eyes stayed on her task, not even turning around when she suddenly pat him on the head, speaking distractedly. "That's very nice Gajeel."

He frowned, and Lucy was beginning to become really concerned at the small woman's frantic behavior.

"Um...Levy?"

"AHA!"

All three mages jumped back in surprise when Levy suddenly jumped up and shouted, her head nearly colliding with Gajeel's. She was holding something in her hands and Lucy leaned forward to take a closer look. "Levy what's that?"

The bluenette turned to her and grinned, before going toward the spot and began to line up whatever she had in her hands to the space that was missing the last bit of runes. When she was satisfied, she turned back to Lucy and smiled. "Looks like that missing piece wasn't so missing after all. We had it the whole time! Its the sample that was given to us with the flyer!"

Lucy's eyes widened and she smiled back, both in joy and relief that they could complete their mission and still get paid. Her rent wasn't gonna pay itself.

"All that trouble over a rock?"

Lucy jumped, not realizing that Natsu had come closer to examine the damaged wall where the piece had broken off, since she and Levy were taking up any remaining access to the small corner. He was kneeling behind her, his face close enough to hers that she could smell his natural scent, reminiscent of campfires and some kind of spice. He never was one for fancy soaps, something she could admit she appreciated. She would never say it aloud, but she was actually kinda fond of his natural scent.

"Natsu! Don't scare me like that!"

He rolled his eyes at her, something  _she_  didn't appreciate. "Lucy, you should be used to it by now."

"Used to what? You popping out of nowhere and giving me heart attacks?"

He sighed, and his chin dropped onto her shoulder, his head leaning against hers. "No Luce, me being by your side."

She looked at him from the corner of her eye, and was un-surprised to see him looking back at her. They stared at each other for a bit, having a private battle of wills through their eyes. She frowned and his eyebrow raised, as if daring her to challenge him.

After what seemed like forever, Lucy blinked and sighed. She could almost feel his smug attitude for winning their unspoken argument, and she didn't have to look back into his eyes for her to see the twinkle of triumph in them. She shook her head slightly in amusement, a wry grin working its way onto her face. She reached up and playfully ruffled the mess of soft pink spikes that was his hair. "You idiot. I  _am_  used to you being at my side. I couldn't get rid of you even if I tried."

Instead of answering her he shifted, positioning himself so that she was between his now outstretched legs. He scooted closer and leaned heavily against her back, his arms loosely wrapping themselves around her waist. Then he yawned.

Oh  _hell_  no.

"Natsu don't you dare fall asleep on me."

"Luce shush, its nap time."

"No, its time for you to get the hell off. Do I look like a bed to you?"

"Pretty sure beds aren't this noisy."

"Did you just _-_."

"Oh my  _God_ , just kiss already!"

Lucy jumped and a blush bloomed over her face. "Levy!"

The small mage was currently grinning at them, while Gajeel just looked disgusted. "Don't encourage them Shrimp, I'd rather not go blind."

Lucy was still blushing but snorted, trying her best to save face. Natsu on the other hand didn't look effected at all by the talk. His gaze, was now on the piece of stone still clutched into Levy's hands. "Hey, aren't you gonna put that piece back in its place?"

The bluenette looked it over and shrugged. "Its worth a try. I mean, it might fit but I doubt it'll stick in place."

Lining the edges of the stone up with the ones on the wall, she gently pushed it back into place. Surprisingly, it fit like a glove; every edge and curve fitting perfectly into the ancient wall and sticking there when Levy let go of it.

"Looks like it still fits. I don't know how long its been broken off but I suppose that's good." Levy said, picking up Lucy's notes and doing the last bit of the translating, since it seemed that Natsu was keen on using Lucy as his pillow no matter how much she resisted.

"Natsu come on, its too hot for you to be laying all over me."

"But Lucy I'm tired, and you're comfortable and squishy."

"Who's squishy?!"

Levy snorted softly, shaking her head in amusement as she finished translating and began arranging the notes. Lucy could say she didn't want him there, but the small smile and blush on her face as she, _attempted_ , to push away a grinning Natsu told her otherwise.

That wasn't resisting.

That was foreplay.

...

* * *

Later that night after,  _volunteering,_  Natsu and Gajeel to clean up for the day, Lucy and Levy both made good on their plans and were now relaxing in the cool water of the cenote. Gajeel had insisted that since they had searched the entire temple and found nothing of the ancient relic that was rumored to be there, that they should head home first thing in the morning. Surprisingly, Natsu agreed with him and that hadn't sat right with Lucy nor Levy. Gajeel they could understand, but Natsu? The one who abhorred giving up in any sense?

It was definitely suspicious.

Lucy stretched, before leaning back against the ancient stairs that served as her seat. She stared up at the coming night, the stars already making their appearance in the warm hues of the sunset.

A splash caught her attention, and she turned to see Levy swimming over to her before taking a seat beside her on the stairs. "Had a nice swim?"

Levy smiled, sweeping her wet hair back from her face. "Very much so. Its really nice down there."

"How far down did you go?"

"Not that far, but I used a bit of magic to light up the area around me. Lu-chan, there are carvings of marine animals down there, and they are  _so beautiful._ " She said, her tone full of awe and wonder. Seeing Levy's smile brighten, Lucy couldn't help but be excited with her.

Lucy smiled. "They must have been amazing architects to carve the walls of this giant hole."

"I know right!? But I'm actually curious about how far down the hole they actually carved, and well, how far down the hole  _actually goes_."

Lucy nodded. She had to admit that she was curious as well. She suspected that there must be some kind of outlet that kept the water from the water fall from filling the enormous sinkhole completely. Not only that, but from what she had seen from her own previous dives was that the stairs continued down only a few more feet, and then simply  _stopped_. At first she considered that the rest of the stairs had simply broken off until she saw others like it, cut off at the same point. And now with Levy's interest, she was dying to know what mysteries the hole contained.

"...Would you like to find out?"

Levy's head snapped toward Lucy, astonished at the proposition. "Lucy..."

"Wait, just hear me out."

The bluenette sighed before nodding. "Go ahead."

Lucy smiled, appreciating the opportunity. "Okay, just think about it. There have been plenty of people here before to check out the temple and the village. But how many people have really taken a look  _here_? Maybe a few?"

Levy nodded, beginning to understand just what Lucy was saying. "Probably. Not only that but besides the stairs, there aren't any other carvings on the walls above the water, just old docks, which don't actually make sense to me. I would think that they'd have rotted away by now with the mist from the water fall and any rain."

"I agree. I suspect that the carvings are underwater to possibly keep anyone who wasn't part of their community from discovering anything. The docks however, might be from other explorers who found this place and simply set up camp here, not suspecting anything might be hidden. Not only that, but I don't think the ancient peoples would have really  _needed_ them. From the carvings we saw, some people could even change their features to resemble marine life-"

Lucy's eyes widened and so did Levy's as they realized the implications. "Lucy...Oh my God, Lucy there could be  _undiscovered things down here!_ "

Both women squealed in excitement and bounced in their seats. It was certainly a plausible theory, one that definitely couldn't be ignored. They could discover amazing things, new carvings, writings,  _the relic they've been looking for..._

Lucy immediately stood up and went to her bag resting by the stairs leading out of the sinkhole, and after a few moments fished out the belt with her keys. Tying the belt on with practiced ease, she proceeded to pull out a key.

"Lu-chan what are you doing?" Levy asked, leaving the water to stand next to the blonde.

Lucy turned to her and grinned. "We want to know how deep this hole goes, right? Well, we just need a light bright enough to see down to the bottom."

"Lu-chan, I doubt that any flare we have will be able to pierce through that darkness."

"That's true, but..."

Lucy grinned as she held up the key, revealing it to be Loke's. "No flare could ever compare to the light of a  _star_."

Levy caught on with her plan and then grinned along with Lucy as the blonde stepped forward. "Open, Gate of the-"

A flash of light interrupted her, temporarily blinding them both before it died down and Loke stood in its place, grinning. "You rang?"

Lucy huffed and placed his key back on the ring with the others. "Well I  _was_ , but I didn't get a chance to finish."

He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I can always feel when you need me, and I will always come when my lady calls, no matter how often it is."

"It ain't that often, trust me..." Lucy mumbled, and Loke dramatically placed a hand on his chest as though he was hurt.

"Oh, my lady, how your words wound me! Perhaps a kiss shall heal-"

_"I will kick you."_

"Then again your presence alone gives me strength."

_"Good answer."_

Loke chuckled and grinned, before noticing Levy. "Hey there Levy, you two having fun out here?"

Levy smiled and nodded before going over to hug the Lion Spirit's free arm. "Its been a while since I've seen you. How have you been?"

He wrapped his other arm around her shoulders and grinned, not minding if his suit got a little damp. "I've been just fine, and I'm even better now that I'm in the presence of you two lovely ladies, who I must say look  _amazing_  in those bikini-"

"Loke."

"Okay okay, so," he said looking at Lucy. "You obviously needed my help since you were about to call me, so what is it I can do for you Lucy?"

Lucy nodded and pointed to the water. "We want to see how deep the hole goes, but no flare we have will be bright enough for us to see that far down."

Loke nodded and grinned. "I see what you mean, and what you need. I'll use my Lion's Brilliance to pierce through the darkness. Though I warn you two, it might get a bit warm. The Light of Regulus is no laughing matter. Even while I'm in the water, you need to have your eyes closed and your faces covered."

His face grew serious then, and he looked directly at Lucy. "The amount of light I used in our battle with Bixlow will be nothing compared to what I'm going to use now. I'll go very bright first, and when I can see the bottom I'll dim it so that I can see it just enough. Okay?"

Lucy nodded and smiled. "Okay. Thank you Loke, I can always count on you."

Loke's serious expression melted away, being replaced with one that showed nothing but love and fondness for his master. "Of course you can. I'll always come when you need me."

He playfully rubbed his cheek against the blonde's hair as she mockingly pushed him away. "Yeah yeah enough with the cuddling you fur ball, now can you please hop in, we're losing daylight."

The Lion Spirit retracted his arms from both women and went to the edge of the hole.

"Um Loke, aren't you gonna change into something more... _suitable_ , for swimming?" Lucy said.

Loke grinned. "Of course my lady. Would you fancy me in a Speedo-"

"Loke!"

"Just kidding." He winked at her as he was once again surrounded by light for a few moments before it faded away, revealing him to be in a pair of black swim trunks and sans his blue glasses.

"How do I look?" He said, taking a moment to do a pose.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Like you're about to get wet."

She saw his grin and immediately realized what she said, a blush blooming on her cheeks.  _"Don't you dare."_

He snickered and after sending both girls another wink, dove straight into the water. Immediately afterward, they ran over to a large rock near the waterfall and stood behind it, following Loke's instructions to close their eyes and cover their faces. When they felt the spell activate, they could still see a good portion of light pierce through their hands and eyelids. They could also feel its warmth, saving them from the chill of the misty air around the rushing water. After a minute or so passed, the light and heat began to fade until the magic was no longer present.

"Its safe, you can come out now."

Levy stood up first, and noticed that the Lion spirit was nearly dry, steam billowing from his skin. "Wow, you weren't kidding."

He grinned. "Never doubt the power of the stars."

Lucy, already at the edge of the water, peaked into it and frowned. "Looks like you even evaporated a few feet of water too."

"Stars are hot, a conglomerate of magic, mystery, and sexy men like me in suits." He said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Actually," Levy said. "Stars are just balls of burning gas."

Lucy snorted, and Loke's expression immediately dropped into a frown.

"...I resent being called a  _ball of gas_."

Lucy grinned. "If you hate that then you should have heard what she called the sun yesterday."

"I still and will always firmly believe, that the sun is nothing more than a  _fiery fart_."

"Oh come on that's just  _gross_."

Both women laughed, and eventually Loke stopped pouting long enough to laugh with them. When their amusement was fully taken care of, they got back to business.

"So," Lucy asked. "Just how far down does it go?"

Loke eyed the water. "Not nearly as deep as I thought it would be, it only goes down 200 or so more feet. I've seen a few of these over the years, one of them being thousands of feet deep. Either this a really short hole or there's enough debris carried by the waterfall piled at the bottom to take up a lot of space. I'm leaning towards the former since its bottom is flat and not slanted."

Lucy blinked. "You went all the way to the bottom? That fast?"

The Lion Spirit grinned. "Light travels faster than sound, and I'm an amazing swimmer. Learned from the best."

Levy's expression became confused. "Who's the best?"

Loke opened his mouth to respond, before stopping to look at Lucy. She gave a small smile and nodded. "Its okay, she knows."

Levy quickly realized and felt bad. "Oh...Sorry."

"Its alright Levy." He said, gently patting her head before turning back to Lucy. "She still talks about you. She says that she can feel you using her magic and that you better not disgrace her name."

Lucy shook her head in amusement. "Of course I won't..."

"She misses you a lot Lucy. She really loves you." He said, reaching out and wiping away the tear that fell without her knowledge.

"Thanks Loke...So," Lucy said, eager to change the subject. "Was there anything dangerous down there? Like any deep water predators?"

Loke shook his head. "None, and the bottom is soft with sediment."

Levy sighed in relief. They definitely didn't need anything rising from the depths to snatch them up out of nowhere.

"There's something else."

Both women stiffened.

"Something else?" Levy said, eyeing the water in caution before looking back at Loke, whose gaze had gone back to the water as though he was waiting for something to happen, before looking towards both women. "There's an opening that resembles a doorway."

Lucy's eyes widened and a smile began creeping onto her face. "A doorway?"

He nodded. "It opens into an even larger cavern, which I believe has an air pocket at the top. Its got carvings like the ones here and it runs about the length of two city blocks. At the end I could see an exit, but beyond that I don't know."

Both women looked at each other for a few moments, before nodding at each other. "Okay, thanks Loke."

"You're going down there?"

The way he said it, made it sound more like a statement than a question. Lucy sighed and nodded.

"Why?"

Levy took over then, telling him about their mission and the bonus if they found the relic. The Lion Spirit stayed quiet, listening to everything before sighing, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Fine. And I assume you don't want Natsu or Gajeel coming along?"

Levy shook her head. "They'd put up a huge fuss since they want to leave so badly. But as I see it, this is my mission and everyone else are just hired help. If they want to go back so badly they can pack their happy asses up and get moving, but I'm staying. No offense Lucy..." She said, eyeing the blonde with a sheepish smile.

Lucy shook her head in amusement. "None taken. As long as I can get my share of the reward for my work I'm happy to be hired help. And I'm staying with you, I could never leave you here by yourself."

The Spirit Mage looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun was nearly gone. "Dammit, if we're not back soon they're gonna come looking for us..."

"I can vouch for you." Loke said. "Just tell me where your camp is and I'll talk to them. In the meantime, use my key to light your way as you go. Since you didn't summon me there will be little to any pull on your magic."

Lucy smiled. "Okay. Thanks Loke."

"No problem. So, where's camp?"

Lucy's face fell into a slight grimace before reluctantly pointing the way. "About a mile that way."

Loke's jaw dropped comically.  _"A mile?"_

Lucy's face suddenly pulled into a pout, her eyes filling with tears.

He winced. "Oh God...Not the face..."

Her bottom lip began quivering and he looked away. "Okay okay! I'll go, just stop doing the face you're breaking my heart."

Lucy smiled, any trace of tears drying up instantly as she hugged the Zodiac Spirit Leader. "Thanks Loke! I can always count on you."

He rolled his eyes and grinned. "You're lucky I love you enough to walk a mile through this hot jungle  _and_  let you use my key as a  _flashlight_."

"You're very much appreciated Loke."

"Yeah I know, and I appreciate you too Lucy, more than you'll ever know." He said, before placing a chaste kiss on the crown of her head and heading for the stairs, using magic to change back into his suit. "I'll give you guys an hour. Anymore than that and they'll get suspicious. Whatever you find, call me and I'll come."

"Okay!"

Deciding not to waste time watching him go, Lucy grabbed her and Levy's bags and turned to give hers over. "Alright, about 200 feet down, I think I can get us down there in about 10 minutes. The cavern won't take long, but beyond that I don't know. My Water Magic will protect us from the pressure so we won't be in any danger."

Levy nodded. "Okay. Besides a way getting down there and Loke's light is there anything else we might need?"

"Additional air? Like I said, beyond what Loke saw I have no idea what comes next."

Levy grinned. "Air I can do."

With that, both women headed toward the water and jumped in, swimming to the center. Using her Water Magic, Lucy conjured a large Water Bubble that contained them inside. "Are you ready?

"Yup!"

And with that, Lucy began to take them down into the depths.

...

* * *

As Lucy predicted, they were down to the bottom of the sinkhole within 10 minutes and just as Loke said, there was hole resembling a door, complete with ornate carvings. Venturing into the cavern, they confirmed that there was indeed an air pocket by briefly floating up to the top. Above the surface revealed a domed ceiling. There weren't any carvings, just stalactites, but then again if the ancient people were swimming through there, they wouldn't need to see the ceiling.

The passageways underwater though, were carved, telling stories through pictures and even more runes; hundreds or even thousands of years of valuable history, laying un-appreciated in the depths of the sinkhole now that it's people were gone.

Once they came to the end of the passageway and to the exit, which was covered by some kind of moss growing along the rock, Lucy looked to Levy. "How much time do we have left?"

Using Lucy's music Lacrima, she checked the time. "48 minutes."

Lucy sighed in relief. "Good. Now, lets just keep going, and be on our guard. We don't know what's beyond this doorway."

"Absolutely." Levy said, magic sparking along her palms and fingertips, ready for use if necessary.

Lucy nodded before pushing on through the moss, their passage causing it to separate and float out of the way. The doorway led into a wide hallway that grew into a wide curve. After going for a while, they still hadn't reached an exit, and still the hallway kept curving. Lucy willed the bubble to move faster, eager to make the most of their time left.

Finally, after a journey of 20 minutes total, they came to the end of the hall, passing gratefully through the exit. The surface of the water glowed with light as the exit opened into a wide space, but it was shallow enough that they could see the sediment at the bottom.

Along with familiar sets of stairs leading out of the water.

Pushing the bubble toward the stairs, Lucy brought it near the surface and carefully peeked her head out of the water.

Small natural luminescent crystals that grew out of the walls provided natural lighting into a large cave. The floor of the cave was flooded with almost knee deep water, passing out of what she now knew was a shallow pool and continued flowing elsewhere.

Giving Levy the signal that it was safe, the bluenette's head popped up out of the water as she had her turn to look around. The blonde let the bubble disperse but remained silent, her eyes searching for anything that might give them more information.

"Well," Levy said, catching Lucy's attention as she pulled herself out of the water and grabbed a loose crystal from the cave wall. "I think I know why these weren't used to light our way here."

The bluenette dropped the glowing crystal into the water and within moments its light went out. Looking around, Lucy quickly noticed other crystals that suffered the same fate as the one that was just dropped. "I'm gonna take a few as souvenirs."

The blonde giggled and got out of the shallow pool before looking around more. The crystals were everywhere, and they did a splendid job of lighting up the cave. What puzzled her is why the ancient peoples would have a tunnel that led to an empty cave. Walking down a bit more, she could see that the light further in got brighter on the right side of the cave walls. "Levy?"

Hurrying over, the bluenette stopped at her side. "What's up?"

Lucy pointed further down the cave. "It gets brighter along the right side of the wall."

Needing no further motivation, both women walked on and in no more than two minutes they came upon a miraculous sight.

More stairs.

Except that these stairs, they could tell, used to be grand as they now were now crumbling with age, led to a doorway that was glowing with light. Without realizing it, both of them had stopped dead in their tracks in awe, but it was Lucy who began to step forward and carefully climb the medium sized ancient staircase. Levy followed soon after and then, both were met with a sight even more miraculous than stairs.

An underground temple.

Their mouths dropped open in shock and disbelief, as their minds processed what was in front of them.

The temple was enormous, resembling a small city rather than a place of devotion and worship. All around them were large columns and even three aqueducts that looked to have even been used as bridges, strategically built and placed to add more beauty and function.

Statues of various animals, some clearly not native to the area or even the continent, carved from the cave walls themselves. Rectangular man made shallow pools were carved into the floor; remains of floating candles having sank to the bottom long ago.

The floors, unlike the crumbling stairs were smooth and were decorated with square and rectangle patterns. There were even remains of various offerings, set in little cubby storage like spaces; fabrics, flowers, and even ancient wax candles. The temple glowed with the light of the crystals, and in the ceiling, a gargantuan cluster of them lit the entire cave on its own.

The temple from what they could see for themselves was amazing, but what was even more amazing was what they could see from the back.

A giant statue of what appeared to be a goddess, carved from the cave wall. She was beautiful; her hair was pulled into some intricate style with various hair ornaments, her dress tightly wrapped around her body. Surrounding the goddess were golden grates that led out from her back, and down toward something they couldn't see from their spot at the entrance.

"Oh Lucy...We did it..."

Lucy looked to her side and saw that Levy's eyes were filled with happy tears, a smile on her face. "We did it...We did it!"

It wasn't hard to get sucked into Levy's enthusiasm and soon both girls were hugging each other in glee. They'd just discovered a hidden temple, hell they'd just made  _history_. How could they  _not_  be happy?

Levy soon broke from the hug and took a step to go further. "We have to go inside!"

But before Levy could go any further, Lucy had grabbed the bluenette's arm. "Levy we can't."

Levy looked confused. "Lucy what do you mean  _we can't_? We can't back out now!"

"We're not backing out. We're getting  _back up_. We have to get Natsu and Gajeel down here before we do anything else. We found it, but we're gonna need their help searching the place..." Lucy checked the music Lacrima. "We have 15 minutes before the hour is up. We may have a bit more since it probably took Loke that long to walk back to camp, but we still don't have much time...please Levy..."

The Script Mage looked back and forth at her best friend, and the incredible historical discovery they'd both just made before sighing and conceding. "You're right. But Lu-chan we're never gonna make it back in time coming the way we did."

Lucy winced. "I know, but we have to at least try..."

"Or..." Levy said as she looked further down the cave. "We can find another way out."

Lucy sighed. "Levy...We don't have the  _time_ -"

"Lu-chan look." The bluenette said as she pointed down the cave.

The blonde conceded and looked, and her eyes widened in surprise.

There was another door.

Looking at each other, both women nodded before descending the stairs and heading towards the door. Once they got there, Levy quickly examined it. "Its dark up there, but it looks like there are stairs that lead up. Hopefully they lead toward the surface."

She heard Lucy yelp before quickly turning around, magic at the ready in case they were being attacked. What she saw was the blonde quickly pulling out a key. "Lu-chan don't scare me like that, I thought we were being attacked!"

Lucy gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry Levy! I just realized that I forgot to call Loke!"

The bluenette playfully rolled her eyes as the Spirit Mage proceeded to summon the Lion Spirit. Once the normal flash of light had passed, it revealed the leader of the Zodiac's frowning face and crossed arms. "What took you so long, I was worried..."

"Sorry Loke, I honestly forgot I swear."

Rolling his eyes and sighing, his familiar grin spread over his face, although it was a bit subdued. "I forgive you, but seriously, what did you guys find?"

Levy pointed back down the cave from where they came. "Lets just say we hit the mother load."

He raised an eyebrow in interest, but was interrupted by Lucy. "She's right, but we don't have time to go back and show you. We need to get back to the surface but getting back the way we came takes too long."

Levy nodded. "We found this staircase and it might lead up to the surface. Considering that the hallway curved the entire way, I suspect that if it leads to the surface that we'll be near the temple or a little ways from it."

"And if it doesn't?" Loke said.

Levy grimaced. "We'll have to go back the way we came..."

Lucy shrugged. "Its a risk we'll have to take. One thing we haven't considered is that it'll lead to another cave with more undiscovered things."

"Or it could lead to danger."

Lucy looked at Loke and smiled. "That's what we have the big strong Leader of the Zodiac Spirits here for, right?"

The Lion Spirit snorted and grinned. "Flattery will get you everywhere. Besides, its worth the risk if it'll keep two Dragon Slayer's off your asses."

Lucy paled. "Which reminds me that we have to get  _our asses_ out of here before they come looking for us! We don't have time to waste!"

Loke nodded and began walking up the stairs. "I'll take the lead."

Quickly following, both women proceeded up the stairs as quickly as they could.

Hopefully they could get back in time.

...

* * *

Another chapter will be out today! Its the other part of Chapter 9 since it was getting too long. I meant to get this done last weekend but I got really sick and I've been working on this for the four day weekend I get off of school because of my class schedule. Hopefully this means I can update more frequently. I hope you guys like it and please leave me a review!


	10. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER: FAIRY TAIL AND ALL OF ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO HIRO MASHIMA AND NOT ME. THE ONLY THING I CAN CLAIM IS THE PLOT AND THE OTHER CHARACTERS.

This chapter was actually a part of Chapter 9, but I split them in half since there was too much stuff going on in one chapter. :D

_Summary:_

_When Levy invites Lucy and Natsu on a mission to translate wall carvings from an ancient temple, they accidentally invoke the "Trials by Nature", a series of tests that an ancient tribe used as a way to initiate members into adult hood. They must conquer the twelve basic animal instincts, while trying to reign in the feelings that the trials invoke in them._

...

* * *

Gajeel was antsy.

And he didn't like feeling antsy.

According to Loke, who'd come into the temple covered in leaves and looking a bit disgruntled, Levy and Lucy were gonna stay at the cenote for another hour before disappearing in a flash of light. He could smell their scents on him so he knew he was telling the truth, no matter how much it irritated him that he'd touched Levy.

Except now, their hour was up.

Had been for 10 minutes, and they still weren't back.

He leaned back against the wall, irritated that they'd had yet to make an appearance. He and Natsu had already cleaned up their work for the day, and this time it was for good. They were thankfully leaving tomorrow morning. Minus the day and a half walk to get back to town, and the two day trip back by train, they'd be back in Magnolia with about a day and a half to get the hell out of dodge and locked up before the full moon signaled a final farewell to their sanity for the night.

After that night, according to what Metalicana said, their minds will slowly release themselves from the Dragon's influence during a period of three days. They would have control, but their actions would be heavily instinctual; Aggression, excessive touching, and needing to be close to the object of their desire were just to name a few of the symptoms that Metalicana had warned him about. That, and what he could find out from reports during his time at the Magic Council.

He'd never admit it to anyone, but what he found  _terrified_  him. He used Metalicana's information to track incidents involving Dragon Slayers around a specific time and date throughout the years, and he'd never forget what he found.

Hundreds of deaths caused by Dragon Slayers, a good chunk of the victims being Dragon Slayers themselves. Numerous cases of women being stalked and even raped, and to those who were luckier, a high number of births were reported. There were lesser incidents as the years passed on, no doubt thanks to the ending of the War. There were more than plenty of casualties; Human, Dragon, and Slayer alike during that time. Now the incidents were practically non existent, being that there were barely any Dragon Slayers left, but that didn't mean the risk was gone.

He frowned. It'd be a lot safer if they were isolated and locked up as tight as can be. No excuses, no exceptions. The first night, he surmised, would be absolute hell. They absolutely couldn't have any access to their magic, but as things wore on it would get better, but they would still have to be confined. He figured they'd have to go to Master Makarov for assistance, something he'd no doubt give to avoid anyone getting hurt. He just hoped that neither woman found out, or came looking for them. If anything, maybe Master could just say they went on a mission together or something.

Yeah right.

That didn't sound believable  _at all._

His thoughts were interrupted when Natsu himself came in with some kind of funky looking book in his hands. "Where the hell did you get that from Pinky?"

Idly flipping him off, Natsu opened it to look at the pages, which seemed to be made of wood. "Found it in the Honey Room. I think its a cookbook."

"Oh yeah? And what gave you that idea?"

Natsu showed him the pages, which seemed to have pictures of food and runes burned into them. "See?"

"Why are the pages made of wood?"

The pink haired man shrugged. "Either they didn't have paper or it was because the wood lasts a lot longer."

Gajeel's eyebrows rose a bit in surprise. He'd definitely made a good point.

When the hell did he get so smart?

"They didn't get back yet, huh?"

Gajeel snapped back to the present and took a moment to realize what he said before answering. "Nah, not yet..."

Natsu frowned, his eyes flashing red before tucking the book under his arm and using the other to cover his mouth and nose with his scarf. He inhaled deeply a few times as his eyes closed, before finally letting it go to fall back in its place around his neck. When he opened his eyes he saw Gajeel looking at him with poorly disguised horror. "What the hell was that all about?!"

"None of your business rust bucket."

"Oh, its my business alright. Something hasn't been smellin' right since whatever happened last night, and now your eyes are flashing red and you're sniffing your scarf like it was dipped in catnip. Talk.  _NOW_."

He sighed, before running a hand through his pink hair. "Look, I just got... _frustrated_ , that they weren't back yet alright? Its no big deal."

"It IS a big deal if the  _Dragon_  in you is actin' up. I'll get to your sudden scarf fetish later. What the hell happened last night?"

The younger man was glaring at him for the scarf comment but then he grinned, and Gajeel didn't like the look he was getting. "You really wanna talk about the  _Dragon_  in  _me_  actin' up?"

Gajeel stayed silent, hoping something bad hadn't actually happened. But then again things don't usually work out in his favor.

Natsu set the book down on the floor before crossing his arms, his grin gone and his lips turned down into a frown. "Your  _Dragon_  took you over last night."

The Iron Dragon Slayer's face lost all color, and before he could open his mouth to ask what happened, Natsu continued.

"Something woke me up, and when I checked everything was fine, but I was lazy about it. I hadn't bothered to turn around until I'd almost fallen back to sleep and heard something scraping against the ground. When I saw you, your eyes were wide open and glowing red. Your arm was covered in your Iron Scales, and you were using it to  _drag yourself out of the tent._ I don't have to tell you where you were going."

Gajeel idly rubbed his arm, now realizing why his arm had been friction burned. "Just one arm?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah...At first I thought you were awake, but you didn't even look at me when tried to get your attention. Your eyes wouldn't contract when I put my hand in your face. You couldn't even feel the pain in your arm, or when I picked you up and put you back in your sleeping bag, like a friggin' zombie."

Gajeel sat down slowly, trying to absorb everything the Fire Dragon Slayer was telling him. It was worse than he'd thought. He'd been possessed, and had Natsu failed to wake up, he might have succeeded in gettng to Levy...

"That's not all..."

The older man groaned. "What else did I do?"

"Not you...Me..."

His head whipped to the side, looking intently at Natsu as he rubbed the back of his head. "You ain't the only one who slipped under...I slipped too. Honestly, you saved me. If your body hadn't moved again, I'd have made it out of the tent. After I snapped out of it, that's when I put you back in your bag and stayed up all night, just to make sure you didn't escape. Oh yeah, that reminds me."

Natsu went into his waist coat pocket, pulled out a piece of fabric and tossed it to Gajeel who immediately caught it and looked at it.

It was black, and had little white polka dots on it. Just like...

Immediately, Gajeel had Natsu by his throat. "You have 10 seconds to tell me why you have Levy's scarf or I'll-"

"I got it for YOU."

"Why the hell would I need it?!"

"...Insurance."

Gajeel's furious expression faded somewhat. "...What?"

The pink haired man rolled his eyes. "Put me down and I'll tell you."

The older man glared at him for a moment, before reluctantly dropping Natsu on his ass. "Start talking,  _and it better be good_."

Natsu stood up, wiping the dust from his pants. "Thanks a lot."

" _Talk."_

Instead of doing so, Natsu reached into his scarf, and pulled out what looked to be a shirt. "This is Lucy's shirt."

"Fucking per-"

"You wanted me to talk, now shut the hell up so that  _I can_ , asshole."

Glaring, Gajeel reluctantly kept his mouth shut.

Natsu grinned, then continued on, ignoring the glare. "I'm used to sleeping at Lucy's house all the time, and when I'm at mine I get anxious if I can't smell her, especially after what happened at the Grand Magic Games..."

Natsu went quiet for a moment, some dark emotion appearing in his eyes before it disappeared. He took a deep breath and then continued on.

"Since we couldn't be together in a tent, I snagged one of her shirts to help me sleep. Came in handy too. Even after I came out of my trance, something kept screaming at me in the back of my head. I guess my  _Dragon_  wasn't too happy about being stopped. I put the shirt to my nose, took a big whiff, and then everything was all smiles. I guess if you have something with their scent, it fools the  _Dragon_  into thinking they're really there."

Natsu pointed to the scarf in Gajeel's hand. "Which is why I swiped Levy's scarf this morning. Right now, you need it to help keep you sane at night more than she needs it as a fashion statement. I ain't stayin' up all night for you until this is over, so tie it over your nose or something so that you won't go zombie on me again. Next time, it might not just be an arm it takes over."

The Iron Dragon Slayer frowned. As much as he didn't want to agree with the flame fucker, he was one hundred percent right. And, he would never say it, but he was actually grateful that the moron had thought to grab Levy's scarf. If it worked for Pinky, maybe it would work for him.

Gajeel sucked his teeth and stuck the scarf deep into his pocket. "Che, whatever. Speaking of Blondie, did this recent experience help you figure out your fucked up feelings?"

"Shut up."

Gajeel dragged a hand down his face. "Are you  _still_  denying your feelings for-"

"That's not what I meant."

Gajeel nearly choked on his words and turned to Natsu, who had his head down, a fierce blush on his cheeks. "You mean-"

Natsu turned away and mumbled, but Gajeel could still hear him loud and clear. "Lets just say I've been thinking about my "fucked up feelings."

Gajeel was about to ask more questions, but he was cut off by the sound of heavy stone moving nearby, and turned to see the throne moving backwards, revealing darkness underneath.

Both men summoned their magic, ready for whatever was gonna come out of the hole. They heard multiple pairs of footsteps, and moments later a familiar head of orange hair came into view.

"Holy crap, you were right." He said, looking around and spotting both men. "Hey guys. Miss me?"

Natsu lowered his fists. "Loke? What the hell are you doing in there?"

The Lion Spirit grinned. "Just escorting two lovely ladies."

"Loke! Come on you're blocking the way!"

"Oops, sorry Princess." He said as he moved out of the way and turned, reaching into the darkness and pulling up Lucy. "Thanks."

"No problem, my Lady."

"Hey! Can I get a bit of help too?!"

Loke reached in again, pulling up Levy this time. "Thanks for remembering I was here." She said, sarcasm dripping from her words.

"I could never forget such a lovely lady as yoursel-"

"Lucy!"

Said girl turned, only to feel an overly warm body slam into her while two strong arms wrapped around her body. "Natsu!"

He didn't answer her, instead taking the opportunity check her over for any injuries along with a few quick sniffs to make sure nothing was off. Once he was satisfied, he buried his face into her neck.

Lucy sighed and she smiled a bit. "Natsu, I'm fine, really.."

His words were muffled slightly, but she could make them out clearly. "I was worried something happened..."

She gently ruffled his hair, a small blush on her face. "I'm a big girl, I can handle myself. But thank you for caring."

He lifted his head from her neck and looked into her eyes. "What are you talking about? I'll always care."

The small blush bloomed and spread rapidly over her face at his words. She turned her face away so that he wouldn't tease her. "You're hopeless."

He grinned, not minding her words at all until he suddenly felt something pushing him away from her.

"Alright fire boy, hands off the merchandise." Loke said, a playful yet annoyed glint in his eyes as he attempted to separate the Slayer from the Spirit Mage.

Instead of acquiescing to the Lion Spirit's demands, Natsu only held on tighter and bared his fangs at him. "Back off."

Loke frowned, and once again attempted to separate them. "Natsu come on, you've had enough hug time-"

He was cut off by a heated hand swiping at his own, and looked to see that Natsu had his hand raised, ready for another strike if he came any closer. "I said,  _back off_."

Loke glared at him and was about to respond before Lucy cut him off. "Natsu! What's gotten into you?"

His snarling expression changed immediately as he looked Lucy in the eye, his face full of innocence. " Sorry...I'm just happy that you're okay...Can you blame me?"

The blonde sighed. "I guess not. We  _were_ late after all."

Natsu nodded. "That's right, you were. Don't do that anymore okay? It freaked me out."

She playfully rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, I'm sorry I wasn't home before the streetlights came on,  _officer_."

"That's right. For your crime you are under arrest and sentenced to one thousand hours of house arrest and community service."

"And how will I do community service if I'm under house arrest,  _genius_?"

He grinned. "That's easy. Your community service will be making me dinner every night. For tonight I'll take Fire Chicken and Pasta, with extra fire and hot sauce. And those little Garlic Knot things I really like those."

She grinned. "Sounds like hard time."

"You do the crime you do the time."

Both of them went silent for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Oh my God you're ridiculous!"

Loke glared at Natsu, and when the Slayer noticed, he grinned and, the Lion Spirit swore it was deliberate, snuggled even closer to the blonde mage. He cleared his throat loudly, ignoring the heated glare sent his way when Lucy switched her attention from the Fire Dragon Slayer to him. "Shouldn't we be getting back to business here?"

"Speaking of that," Gajeel said after he'd finished his own check on Levy. "Where were you, and how the hell did you guys end up comin' outta that hole?"

Levy squealed and then jumped in place excitedly. "Oh yeah! We found something amazing! We just gotta grab all our stuff and go back down the stairs-Oh its so incredible!"

Gajeel frowned. "Whoa, hang on. We ain't goin' anywhere. We're leaving tomorrow, and we gotta rest up for the walk."

Levy crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow in defiance. "If you and Natsu wanna leave that's fine, but Lucy and I are staying here."

Lucy, who managed to successfully detangled herself from Natsu's hold went to her side. "She's right. If you two have something going on back home, then we'll meet you back there whenever we're finished here."

Natsu frowned. "What do you mean " _whenever we're finished here?_ "

"What I mean is that you two can go home and we'll stay here-"

_"Out of the question."_ Gajeel said, his jaw clenched. "We're not leaving you here, we're all going home-"

"No,  _that's_  out of the question. Don't forget this is my mission Gajeel. I'll stay here as long as I damn well please, and Lucy wants to stay here as well." Levy said.

"Luce I'm not leaving here without you." Natsu said, his arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

The blonde wasn't phased by his stance, and rolled her eyes. "Then just stay. You guys don't even know what we found and you're already trying to force Levy and I out the door with you."

She checked the music lacrima and grinned. "Its only 8:30 pm. It won't take us long to get back down there. We need your help to search through everything, and if we work together we might just finish in time for us to catch a few hours of sleep before heading back."

She looked at Levy and shrugged a bit. "What do you say Levy? If they can help us through the night to search the place and we finish, do you think we could go back with them?"

"Its definitely a valid option." Loke said. "That is," he continued. "If Levy and the lizards here can agree on it."

Gajeel frowned. "Just what the hell did they find?"

"I have no idea. I didn't get a chance to look before I helped them up here. But Levy said that it was the mother load."

"And it is." The bluenette said. "Lucy and Loke are right. It's a great option, one we can't act on unless you two are on board. Gajeel," Levy said, speaking directly to him. "I know you said that we should go home tomorrow, but what we found can't be left alone."

Natsu snorted. "Why can't some other guy go search whatever you found?"

Lucy frowned. "And let some random asshole take credit for what Levy and I discovered. Hell no. We found it, and we damn sure should get credit where credit is due."

Loke nodded. "She's right. They put in the work. It wouldn't be fair to let someone else steal their thunder like that. You should know all about that, Natsu."

Natsu looked confused, as well as angry for whatever Loke was insinuating. "The hell are you talking about you fur ball?"

Receiving a sharp look from his master, the Lion Spirit grinned and turned away. "Nothing, nothing at all."

Intent on getting answers and wiping the smirk off Loke's face, Natsu nearly lunged for the Zodiac leader before Gajeel's speaking stopped him in his tracks.

"If we help you and finish, you'll come home with us?"

Lucy and Levy shared a brief look, before the bluenette turned back to him and nodded. "Yup, that's the deal."

He sighed, scratching the back of his head in irritation. "Fine, I'm in. What about you flame fucker?"

"If Lucy's in then so am I."

"Then we're in agreement." Levy said, her hands on her hips. "We just have to bring our stuff down there so we can sleep."

Loke went to Lucy's side, putting an arm around her shoulders, pointedly ignoring the slight growl in his direction. "In the meantime Princess, I'm going back home. You've had me out long enough and I don't want your magic to get too low on the trip back down. If you need me, I'll be there. Make sure you get some rest."

She nodded, giving the Lion Spirit a one armed hug. "Thanks Loke."

"You're very welcome, Princess." With a parting kiss to her crown, Loke disappeared in a flash of light.

The moment he was gone, Natsu was once again wrapped around her, his head resting on top of her head this time. "Natsu, you can't hug me forever."

_Yes I can._

"You smell like a wet cat."

Instantly, his body went flying across the room and slid across the floor when he landed.

"Who smells like a wet cat?!"

"Can you two stop flirting long enough for us to get our stuff and go see this thing? Time is wastin'." Gajeel said.

Both mage's faces bloomed red before they both yelled.

"We're not flirting!"

...

* * *

Nearly an hour later, all four of them were standing inside the enormous temple. Gajeel and Natsu's eyes nearly fell out of their skulls.

Levy grinned. "Totally worth it, right?"

Gajeel nodded dumbly, turning around in a slow circle to see everything that he could. "You guys found this?"

"Yup." Lucy said, using her hand to gently close Natsu's mouth.

The pink haired man sputtered a bit in shock, before lightly slapping her thigh with the ancient cookbook. "Oi, cut it out."

"Natsu! Don't do that, its a piece of history!" She said, gently prying the literature from his hold and safely tucking it away in her bag.

He rolled his eyes. "Lucy, its a just cookbook. But," He said grinning. "Maybe there's something yummy in here that you can cook for me!"

"Thinking with your stomach again?"

"Hell yeah, I'm starving."

"I'll feed you my fist if you don't shut up, Salamander. We don't know what's in here, keep your voices down." Gajeel said, already over his shock and taking whiffs of the air.

"Gajeel don't be so crude. Lucy and I were yelling in here earlier and nothing came to attack us." Levy said.

"That doesn't mean something wasn't  _watching_..."

"Look, we're all here together, and we're more than a match for anything that would think about jumping out at us. Let's just start looking so we can stick to our deal, alright?"

Natsu crossed his arms behind his head. "Sounds good to me. Lets get this over with so we can eat."

"I say we start there." Levy said, pointing to the enormous statue of the goddess. "There looks like there's definitely something important at that location."

"And that could mean danger." Gajeel said, shaking his head in denial. "I say we head for those corridors first. I wanna make sure there ain't nothing waitin' in the dark to surround us as we're makin' our way down to the statue."

"Who knows how far they go. Goodness knows this place could be much bigger than it seems. I don't want to take that risk."

"Look Shrimp-"

"Lets just split up!"

All heads turned to Lucy, who had a hand to her forehead in exasperation. "We're not getting anywhere with all of this bickering, so lets split into two teams. Gajeel, if you're so concerned about the corridors, then you and Levy take one side, while Natsu and I take the other. We'll meet back here in 30 minutes, that way if something  _does_  go wrong, you'll know it if a group isn't back in time. Then, once we're back, we'll head toward the statue. Deal?"

Gajeel and Levy looked at each other for a few moments before turning back to the blonde.

"Blondie, you've got a deal."

...

* * *

As agreed, both groups split up and searched the corridors opposite of each other. To Levy's delight, one of the rooms held what seemed like a small library, filled with ancient literature that Gajeel knew she couldn't wait to get her little hands on.

Another was filled with nothing but candles, diverse in their size shape. The only thing that the candles had in common were that they were either shaped or had carvings of animals in them. It was strange, to find something completely different from the first room, and as they continued on the rooms became even more diverse in ther contents. His interest was peaked in the one that appeared to have various cookware, since the room was filled with large pots and crude flat pans. The village wasn't far from the temple at all, so they'd had a peek into the houses. These pots looked nearly identical to the ones they found there.

The same excitement could be found on Lucy and Natsu's side of things. The first room they ventured into was filled with multitudes of cloth. They were well kept and looked almost new. The blonde decided to take as much as she could fit into her bag for herself and Levy, making sure that nothing was crawling in it first. They were soft and vibrant in their colors, making her curious as to how they were made.

Natsu was more into the next room, which contained remains of what looked to be metal accessories made from the crystals that grew from the cave walls. They weren't glowing, but they were still vibrant in color. He pocketed the pieces that were finished or that he liked the most. He was thinking they would be valuable, and not that he thought some pieces would look pretty on a certain blonde.

Once their time drew to a close, they went to their meeting spot. After briefly discussing their findings, Levy spoke up. "I have a feeling that this temple also served as some kind of market."

Lucy nodded. "I agree. In my opinion, those rooms are businesses, kind of like Magnolia Town Square. The temple above might not have been a temple at all. It might have been the home of the royal family, since it seems like a lot of the public action took place down here. There's so many different trades present that its hard to come to any other conclusion."

Levy smiled and then looked up at Gajeel. "Well Gajeel, there's nothing waiting to kill us in the corridors."

The Iron Dragon Slaery rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah I was wrong, lets go."

Grabbing their bags, he set off toward the statue while Levy hurried behind him. Natsu groaned and rubbed his stomach before following. "When the hell are we gonna eat?"

Lucy sighed. "Natsu, just be patient. Once we check out what's near the statue we can settle down to eat, okay?"

She said that, but even she was feeling hunger pains by now, and it was rapidly replacing her excitement for the temple. She sighed and continued walking. A piece of gum would be better than nothing at this point.

"I can hear your stomach growling, Lucy."

"Natsu..."

"Seriously Lucy, I know you have to be starving. You and Levy were working all day, then you went swimming, and then walking up and down those stairs three times-"

"Twice."

Natsu looked at her. "What?"

"Levy and I only went up and down the stairs twice. Once to get up there, and twice to come back down. If that was the case, you would have seen us go in the first time since you guys were still cleaning up for the day. Then we would have found this place much sooner. Not like it makes a difference-"

"It does make a difference."

Lucy stopped, and turned to realize that Natsu had stopped several steps behind her. "Natsu? What's wron-"

"Lucy, how did you and Levy get down here?"

Her face became confused before she realized  _exactly_ what she'd done.

_Shit._

Hearing their conversation, Gajeel stopped and gave Levy the same look Natsu was giving Lucy. "You know what Shrimp, you guys never did say how you found this place...Mind sharing that little story?"

"Yeah Luce, how did you guys get here?" Natsu said, coming to stand next to her, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

The blonde's mouth opened and closed, trying desperately to come up with a response that didn't blow the cover on her Water Magic. She didn't want it revealed this way; Under a cloud of suspicion. She wanted to display her skills on the battlefield, where they could be appreciated...Where  _she_  could be appreciated; Not only as a friend, but as an ally in battle and not someone Natsu and Fairy Tail felt they needed to protect.

But it looks like she would never get the chance.

"..I-"

"It was me."

All heads turned to Levy, who stood defiant with her arms crossed, a frown on her face. "I used the same 'Air' magic that saved Gajeel and I during the battle with Tartaros, to help Lucy and I find this place."

Gajeel crossed his arms. "Oh yeah? What would you need that for?"

"At the bottom of the cenote was a doorway. I got curious as to how deep the hole actually went. We asked Loke for help and he was the one who found it. The hole only went 200 feet down-"

"200 feet!?" Gajeel said. "Shrimp, that kind of pressure would have torn you and Blondie's lungs apart-"

"But it didn't, because I knew what I was doing!"

"Just because you know what you're doing doesn't mean you should do it!"

"Gajeel," Lucy said. "Everything worked out fine. That pool further down was where we exited from. The doorway at the bottom of the cenote led here. We were safe."

"Lucy that was still reckless!" Natsu yelled, shocking her since he'd been silent for so long. "What if something had gone wrong? We wouldn't have been able to save you-"

"Save me?!"

The pink haired man flinched back from her words, her expression livid. "I can't believe this!  _You of all people_ , dare to call  _me_  reckless?!"

Natsu swallowed, his throat suddenly drier than a desert. "Luce-"

_"Shut up."_

He clammed up immediately, the blonde before him running a shaky hand through her hair. "You have no idea how it feels to be viewed as lazy or weak because of your type of magic...You don't have any idea how it feels to be to humiliated in front of your entire country. Not once, but twice!"

The blonde was crying now, tears pouring down her face as she stared at the man who was supposed to understand her feelings as her best friend.

But instead, unknowingly trampled on them day in and day out.

"Do you have  _any_  idea, how it feels to try and prove that you're worthy to fight alongside your friends, over and over again, only to have your  _best friend_ steal those chances away just because he thought he was doing her,  _a favor..._."

Natsu's eyes widened, Loke's previous words and memories of their recent missions reverberated in his head painfully. Those smiles that lacked the light they usually had as she thanked him for his help. Her lack of enthusiasm when they celebrated their success. Her eyes missing their fire for adventure...He'd seen the signs but couldn't see the big picture...Until now.

She was right.

He really  _didn't_  have any idea just how much he'd hurt her...

He moved closer to comfort her. He just needed to have her wrapped in his arms, and then everything would be okay again. They  _needed_  to be okay again.

She flinched back from him, and his heart broke. "Lucy.."

She shook her head, then turned tail and ran, heading straight toward the statue. Natsu was after her not a moment later, begging her to come back.

Levy, stunned to silence by her friend's outburst, made to go after them but was stopped by Gajeel. "Gajeel-"

"Let them be Shrimp. Besides, we ain't done here."

"Yes, we are. There's no point in arguing. What's done is done, and we came back safe and unharmed."

Letting go of the bluenette's arm, he crossed his over his chest. "That's not the point. The point is that neither you or Lucy did the right thing in this situation. You should have told me and Salamander what you were doing-"

"Why? The last time I checked you weren't Master nor are you my father-"

"So that we could tell you that it was a stupid idea!"

She jumped in surprise at his shout, his face frustrated and angry. But, instead of shouting back at him, she became eerily calm.

Realizing what he said, Gajeel attempted to calm down and ran a hand down his face. "Look, that's not what I-"

"So, we're stupid?"

He grimaced, her even tone more intimidating than her shouting. "No...That's not what I meant."

"Yes it was. And just why are we stupid Gajeel? Because we didn't ask you or Natsu for permission first?"

"Shrimp.."

"You know Gajeel," Levy said as she picked up her bags and glared at him. "I never had to answer to you before you came to Fairy Tail, and I  _damn sure_ don't have to answer to you now. Especially on  _my_  mission. If you don't like it," The bluenette pointed to the entrance of the temple.  _"You know where the exit is."_

With that she turned and went after Natsu and Lucy, not sparing the studded man another glance.

Gajeel stood there, stunned at her dismissal. He of course, had no intentions of abandoning the mission, but he had to admit that her words hurt. She must've been feeling this way for a long time...Long enough for it to slowly simmer and boil inside of her. Something told him that her sharps words weren't the actual explosion.

More like he'd lit the fuse.

He didn't mean to call her or Lucy stupid. He just wanted her to realize how badly things could've gone. If something would've happened, he had no doubt that he and Natsu would have gone insane, proven right by Natsu having to use Lucy's shirt to reign himself in when they were late. If they hadn't come back at all, they'd have torn the entire forest apart in search of them.

He needed her safe, for her sake and his.

Raking a frustrated hand through his hair, he picked up his bags and followed after them. There was no use standing around when there was more work to be done. Thinking back, he couldn't believe how he went from having a kiss from her, to having her tell him to hit the road.

One step forward.

Ten steps back.

...

* * *

Lucy continued running, ignoring Natsu's calls for her to come back. She could tell that she was close to where the statue was, the light from the giant cluster of crystals above getting brighter the closer she got. Soon though, she got too tired to run anymore, her legs and lungs burning from exertion. She sat and leaned against a column, trying to catch her breath.

Natsu caught up with her, but didn't sit, not wanting to stir her anger. "Luce..."

She turned away from him, her ragged breathing settling. "Go...away, Natsu..."

"...No."

She kept her head turned away, not interested in anything he had to say. She heard him take a deep breath and let it out, before he came a bit closer. "Lucy, you don't have to talk to me, just listening is alright...Can you do that?"

She didn't move at first, but then shrugged her shoulders, still resolutely keeping her head turned away from him.

"...Luce, I'm sorry. You were right. I didn't understand what you were going through, and for that, Lucy, I'm sorry..."

He sat beside her then, figuring that if she really didn't want to hear him that she'd have snapped already. She tensed slightly, and he sighed before continuing on. "But, you're also wrong."

She frowned, and turned toward him to give him another tongue lashing but she was cut off.

"You're not weak, Lucy. Nobody in Fairy Tail thinks you are. In fact," He said, moving closer. "You're the strongest person I know."

Her eyes widened in shock slightly, before looking down at the floor. She didn't want to see his eyes or the emotions there. He was never one to hide his true feelings...

"I don't protect you because you're weak, I protect you because I  _want_  to protect you. I know better than anyone that you can handle yourself. You kick me and Happy's asses  _daily_."

She snorted softly, and Natsu grinned, feeling as though he was getting through to her.

"You saved us during Tartaros's attack. I don't know how you did it, but I'm thankful you did. Can you blame me for wanting the person who single handedly saved the Fairy Tail Guild, who is also my best friend, to be protected and safe?"

Gently grabbing her chin, he brought her face up enough so that he could look her in the eyes, which were leaking salty tears. Taking the end of his scarf, he tenderly wiped them away and smiled. "You're my partner, Lucy, and partners have each other's backs. How can I do my part if you won't let me?"

She sniffled, and suddenly his arms were full of his blonde best friend as she hugged him, more tears falling and soaking the top of his jacket. He returned the hug easily, chuckling as she weakly slapped his shoulder for laughing at her. "So...Does this mean you forgive me?"

"Hell no."

His face paled, as she pulled back from their hug, but instead of a look of anger he was met with her smile. "But its a good place to start."

He sighed in relief. Not fully forgiven but not hated. He would take it if it meant she would forgive him eventually. He could wait.

He'd always wait for her.

"Lucy! Natsu!"

Both turned to see Levy running up to them, a silent Gajeel a ways behind her. Natsu stood up, offering Lucy a hand and to his relief, she accepted it. Levy came up to her, none so gently shoving Natsu out of the way and ignoring his indignant "Hey!" as she looked her best friend over. "Lu-chan, are you okay?"

She gave a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay." Wiping away any residual traces of tears she turned to Natsu and Gajeel, who had just caught up with them. "We've wasted enough time. It should be about ten at night, and we're not far from the statue. Lets just keep going."

Silently nodding, everyone turned to go. Natsu reached out to hold Lucy's hand but was cut off by Levy, who shot him a quick glare and turned to Lucy to talk about what they found in their corridors.

Natsu huffed and surprisingly, Gajeel put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. "You can't win, so there ain't no point dwellin' on it. They'll get over it...Eventually."

The older man gave his shoulder a squeeze and then continued on passed him, following behind the women at a distance as not to cause anymore tension. Natsu frowned slightly in confusion at Gajeel's behavior, before realizing he was being left behind and hurried after them.

After 20 minutes of walking, they came to a walkway that was surrounded by long rectangular pools on either side. At the end of the walkway were steps that led to some kind of altar, but they couldn't see it clearly from where they were since it was covered by golden grates; The same grates that led from the Goddess statue.

The statue was even more magnificent now that they were closer. Now, they could see more details that they hadn't been able to see farther away; Like the fact that the dress was connected to some kind of neck ornament that spread across her shoulders, and even rose passed her neck and covered her chin and the sides of her face, reminiscent of some kind of armor. Her ears were pointed, long, and had many piercings. Her hands showed motion, as if she was casting a spell, and where Levy and Lucy had originally thought her dress was tight all the way down, it flared out near the knees.

Her expression, now that they could see it clearly, was slightly stern, commanding respect even as a statue. Her eyes were blank, the eternal stare enough to pin anyone who gazed into them in their place.

Natsu shook the feeling from him and noticed that everyone had stopped walking. "Hey, what are we standing around here for? Lets go!"

This time, Levy didn't have the opportunity to steal Lucy away from him, and he grabbed the stunned blonde's hand and half dragged her down the walkway. "N-Natsu! Slow down!"

He looked back at her, his pace not slowing down. "Weren't you the one who said that we shouldn't waste any time?"

"Well yeah, but I also didn't mean you should drag me there either!"

He laughed, and her cheeks warmed with the beginnings of a blush. "You gotta keep up Luce! You don't wanna get flabby do you?"

"Who's flabby?!" She said, as she yanked her hand from his and began running, determined to beat him. "I'll show you who's flabby! Eat my dust, matchstick!"

"Oi!" Gajeel said as he trotted beside Levy. "This ain't a damn race!"

Natsu looked back and grinned. "Only the ones losing the race say that!" And then he was off, slowly closing in on Lucy.

Gajeel groaned, and Levy snorted before taking off, leaving the studded man behind. "Aww what the hell?!"

"Keep up or go home Gajeel!"

He rolled his eyes and reluctantly began running, but purposely staying behind Levy. He didn't care how much her attitude was irritating him, at least the view was great from where he was, as he watched her shapely bottom and legs flex while she ran.

By now, Lucy and Natsu were neck and neck as they rapidly came to the stairs leading to the golden grate, dubbed their makeshift goal. With a bit more speed, it was Lucy who was victorious, running up the stairs slightly to slow herself down. Natsu was next to her a moment later, both of them panting from the run. Lucy grinned and smirked. "Who's flabby now?"

He smiled, and she felt her cheeks warm again, and not from exertion. "Nice job Lucy. You had a head start, but nice job."

"Don't start with me Natsu."

Moments later, Levy and Gajeel ran up, panting. "You guys are nuts." Gajeel said, glaring at them both.

"Don't be mad rust bucket. Maybe you just need a bit of oil to loosen you up."

_"Fuck you-"_

"Cut it out. We're already here so lets see what's up with this altar." Levy said as she began to walk up the stairs. Natsu, however, held out a hand to prevent her from going any further. "What are you-"

"Let me check it out first."

Levy frowned. "Didn't we just have this coversation? I can handle-"

"I  _know_  you can handle it." He said.

Levy's eyes widened as he looked up at the grate blocking their vision of whatever was up there.

"I just want to check things out before anyone else goes up there. You and Lucy are the smart ones, Levy. If some kind of spell or rune trap pops up, I need you both to be out of the way so that you can take care of it. Rust bucket and I are the muscle, remember?"

Levy sighed and crossed her arms, realizing that he made perfect sense. Just like she told Lucy, Natsu was very smart, and she'd nearly forgotten about that. "You're right, go ahead."

He made some noise of agreement before shrugging off his backpack, handing it to Lucy. He ventured up the stairs slowly, careful of where he stepped in case there was some kind of trap that was triggered by stepping on it. After a minute he arrived at the top of the stairs and to the grate. Picking up an loose stone, he tossed it at the grate and was met with no reaction as it bounced away harmlessly.

He turned to them and spoke. "I guess its not spelled."

Turning back to the grate, he slowly reached his hands toward it and grasped it.

Immediately, he began shaking and screaming, as though he were being electrocuted.

Lucy screamed and immediately began running up the stairs. "Natsu!"

Suddenly, his screams and shaking died down and turned into chuckles, and then full blown laughter. The blonde stopped and glared at him before going all the way up the stairs and hitting him in the head with his bag. "Natsu you asshole! That's not funny!"

He grinned, rubbing where she hit him in the head. "Come on Luce, that was hilarious."

"It was a little funny Bunny Girl."

"Shut up Gajeel!" Lucy said as they came up the stairs behind her.

"She's right Natsu, what if you were really in danger?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. I've been electrocuted before. And I doubt this thing could really hurt me. It'd probably feel like a tickle compared to what Laxus can put out."

Taking his bag back from Lucy, he hopped over the gate.

Levy looked confused. "How come you didn't open it?"

The pink haired man turned and crossed his arms. "I was just shaking the damn thing and it barely budged. I don't wanna break it since this is part of some historical shit. You told us we couldn't do that, remember?"

Levy rose an eyebrow, impressed. "Touche."

He grinned smugly, before reaching out for Lucy. "Come on Luce, I'll help you over."

Looking over herself, she realize that she was still in her bathing suit and blushed. "Um..."

A bundle of clothes was suddenly thrust in her face and she looked to see Natsu smiling. "Just take these. It'll take you forever to pick something out."

She blushed slightly and huffed, taking the clothes, a large red T-shirt and a pair of shorts. "Thanks..." She said as she put them on, afterwards allowing Natsu to help her over the grate.

"You're welcome. You want something too Levy?"

The bluenette smirked. "No I'm okay. But thanks anyway Natsu."

Gajeel frowned, before jumping over the grate and helping Levy over as well. He sent Natsu a glare, but was distracted as Levy gasped. He turned back to her to see her pointing at a decorated altar, where there was some kind of totem sitting in the middle of it.

_Wait a minute._

"Hey, Shrimp...Is that what I think it is?"

Instead of answering him, she just continued gawking at the altar, a slow smile spreading across her face.

By now, Lucy and Natsu had also taken notice of the altar and while Lucy was mimicking Levy's expression. Natsu grinned. "So this is the thing we need to get our bonus right?"

Lucy nodded slowly, still reeling over the fact that they'd found the relic that no one else had been able to find for thousands of years.

"So what are we waiting for? Lets go get it!"

Before she could stop him, he'd gotten to the altar and was reaching out to pick it up. "Natsu wait! It might actually have a spell on it this time!"

"Lucy, just trust me." He said, before picking up the totem.

"Natsu!...Huh?"

Nothing happened.

Her jaw dropped and he grinned. "Ha! I was right!"

She sighed in relief, while Levy and Gajeel came to stand beside her. Gajeel looked disgusted as Natsu victory danced himself back to them, smugness radiating from him. Lucy rolled her eyes. "Alright Natsu that's enough, no need to rub salt in the wound."

"Oh let him celebrate Lu-chan, he deserves to gloat a bit." Levy said, highly amused at the pink haired man's antics. He danced around Lucy and she looked away, trying not to smile and inflate his ego even more.

"Natsu come on, we get it you were right."

"Huh? What was that Luce? I don't think I caught that." He said, mockingly coming closer and putting a hand to his ear.

She rolled her eyes. "You were right."

"Say that again?"

"You were right."

"One more tim-"

_"Don't push it."_

He grinned and put an arm around her shoulders. "Aww don't be that way Lucy. I keep telling you, I'm always right-"

He was cut off as the totem in his hands began glowing, and soon enough the glow enveloped them, making their bodies raise from the floor and slightly into the air.

"What's happening?!" Lucy screamed, struggling in the air.

"Salamander what did you do?!" Gajeel said, trying to strangle him mid-air.

"I-"

Before Natsu could respond, they disappeared in a flash of light, the totem floating safely back down to the floor, looking as innocent as could be. Little did the four mages know, this was the beginning of an adventure that would change their lives forever.

Welcome, to the Trials.

...

* * *

FINALLY DONE. OMG. I'm sorry this was so late I had a medical emergency that came out of nowhere but I'm okay now! Thank you guys for being so patient. Next chapter, the first Trial begins! I hope you're ready for it! :D


	11. Chapter 11

 

DISCLAIMER: FAIRY TAIL AND ALL OF ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO HIRO MASHIMA AND NOT ME. THE ONLY THING I CAN CLAIM IS THE PLOT AND THE OTHER CHARACTERS.  
Hi guys! I know, its been quite a while since I've updated, and there are some very good reasons for that. I'm not gonna list them all, because I don't wanna add my problems to my word count, but things are finally starting to settle down to the point where I can relax and get my head out of this cloud of stress that's been terrorizing me since the before the last time I updated. I wanna thank everyone for the kind words and the encouragement, they've really helped when things got particularly rough. I still can't believe that so many people like my shitty story enough to even re-read it over and over, and it fills me with pride to know that I'm doing something right. Thank you for your kindness, your patience, your encouragement, and your overall awesomeness. :)

Summary:  
When Levy invites Lucy and Natsu on a mission to translate wall carvings from an ancient temple, they accidentally invoke the "Trials by Nature", a series of tests that an ancient tribe used as a way to initiate members into adult hood. They must conquer the twelve basic animal instincts, while trying to reign in the feelings that the trials invoke in them.

...................................

* * *

 

There are things to be said about the risk-takers, the ones who denied their fear of the unknown in order to take those first steps into new progress; change. If the change is good, then praises are sung, everyone follows behind them in order to reap the benefits of the one who led the way into success. To those whose risk did not turn out favorably for them, they are made example of to generations to come in order to prevent history from repeating itself.

But there is that one moment that many don't speak of when it comes to the unfavorable risk taker. That moment in time just between discovery and disaster that is known to all, but private for every failure, as each is unique but at the same time, utterly the same:

That moment when you know you have utterly, undeniably, fucked up.

Even worse than having a fuck-up, was having an audience to your fuck-up.

You'd think it couldn't get worse than that.

You thought wrong.

The worse thing about a fuck-up, is when you thought you were successful, had an audience to your success, had your praises sung and your ego thoroughly stroked, and then said fuck-up comes out of left field, with your audience watching, promptly bitch-slaps you and steals your glory as well as your lunch money, laughing at you the entire time.

Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragonslayer was currently experiencing this phenomenon. Oddly enough, but un-surprisingly, the personification of his fuck-up looks like Gray Fullbuster.

And now he hates that icy fucker even more.

He was jolted out of his shock by the feeling of someone trying to strangle him, and a question being screamed at him.

But before he could respond or even try to defend himself, he and the rest of his teammates were sucked into some kind of portal.

The air was simultaneously knocked out of all of their lungs and their bodies were jerked around by some kind of current. Lucy narrowly avoided a direct hit in the elbow from Gajeel's booted foot as they flailed uncontrollably through the portal at incredible speed. She was barely able to see due to their speed, but the space around them looked familiar to her.

And it should, given that it was the same sky that the Celestial Spirit Realm existed in.

The blonde watch in astonishment as they passed over the realm her beloved spirit friends called home, a few spirits even looking up at them as the current took them to a place unknown to even her, who studied the stars. Feeling a hand grab hers, she was barely able to turn her head to see that Natsu had grabbed a hold of it, Levy's hand holding his other and Gajeel holding hers. Gajeel's hand reached out to her empty one, barely able to keep it stable as she reached back, nearly missing before firmly grabbing hold of it. Their bodies formed a circle as they continued flying through space, though now they were more stabilized and not nearly killing each other with their own flailing limbs.

They looked around at each other, fear and uncertainty on their faces before a light shown over their heads. Looking up, they realized they were rapidly approaching a circle containing a blue sky with clouds and what looked like sunlight. Natsu's mouth moved, trying unsuccessfully to say something but he was thwarted by the air rushing passed them from their flight. The light from the end of the portal suddenly shined brightly above their heads and they simultaneously looked up as they finally broke through into an unknown land.

In that moment, they were able to take in the pure untouched beauty of the strange land. Strange because it seemed to be a cornucopia of environments mashed together to form nature's own kind of wonderland. Frosty mountaintops bordered by a desert; A rain forest that faded into an ocean. Hills and valleys gave way into large craters that housed lakes. It was impossible yet perfectly put together at the same time.

The speechless awe of the incredible land, gave way to terror as gravity caught up to them. Despite the wind rushing into their faces once again, their descent was slower than their initial journey, allowing them to scream on their way down.

Not that all of them were screams of terror.

"Salamander what the fuck did you do?!" Gajeel screamed, amazingly still attempting to get at his fellow Dragonslayer while they were falling from hundreds of feet in the air.

"Gajeel stop trying to kill him! In case you haven't noticed we're falling!" Lucy yelled, trying her best not turn in the air as she fell.

"Not for long!" Levy yelled, before her hands promptly wrote a spell in the air. "Solid Script: Wind!"

Just as she finished writing the word, it materialized in the air, before swirling into a tornado like current that caught them and safely transported them to the ground. They looked around for a moment, realizing that they'd landed in some kind of forest section of the strange land. The trees were enourmous, much bigger than the trees they were used to back on Earthland. They weren't able to be distracted for long however, as the moment they realized they were safe on the ground, did the fighting start again.

"You idiot! You fucking idiot! Look what you did!" Gajeel said as he sucker punched Natsu in the jaw, causing him to fly back into a tree. He quickly righted himself and saw that Gajeel had actually used his iron scaled covered fist to hit him. Lucy and Levy could do nothing but watch as a look of pure vitriol overcame Natsu's face.

"Oi! So that's how it's gonna be you metal bastard?!" He yelled, his arms bursting into flames as he ran forward and delivered a devastating body blow to his fellow Dragonslayer. Gajeel, having activated his scales all over his body, was able to take less damage from the punch and delivered another one, this time Natsu dodging it before the two began fighting harder. They had even gone so far as to wrestle on the ground, forgoing any real fighting for the act of trying to subjugate the other one into submission.

"STOP FIGHTING!" Levy yelled, startling both of the Dragonslayers out of their fight long enough for her to go over and physically separate both of them. It certainly suprised Lucy that Levy was the one to take action and bravely break up the brawling slayers, but not that surprising. They were in a tough and uncertain situation, and tempers and nerves were obviously shot. It was no wonder the blue haired girl had finally snapped. What was surprising, was that Levy turned on Gajeel with a fierce glare and began berating him.

"What do you think you're doing?! Fighting with Natsu isn't gonna make our situation any better than it already is!"

Stunned that she was actually yelling at him, and jealous that she was actually defending him, he snapped back. "Oh, so you're gonna take his side now?! He just fucked us all by touching that stupid thing! He was reckless but you're giving ME shit?! How is that fair?!"

"I'm not taking his side! If you'd think for a second instead of going off half-cocked, you would know that if any of us had touched that damn thing that we'd still be here! It wouldn't have mattered who touched it! It just happened to be Natsu! And yeah, we got lured into a false sense of security when nothing immediately happened, but that's not his fault either! Fighting and exhuasting ourselves isn't the way we're gonna get out of this!"

"Actually, you won't be getting out of this."

The voice that spoke didn't belong to any of the Fairy Tail guild members, and they turned around in surprise to not only see Libra, but the subject of the goddess statue.

She looked exactly like the statue depicted, but as she stood before them, even they could realize that the statue could never capture the essence of the real deal. She practically oozed power, her mere presence enough to stop all in their tracks and demand their attention. This was a being not to be defied, and whatever she had to say, needed to be heard.

Except that Natsu Dragneel had met many like her before.

And as such, could give less than a fuck about her importance.

"What do you mean we won't be getting out of this?!"

Her eyes narrowed, but didn't seem to take any offense to his words. "I mean, that you all will not be leaving here. Not until you complete the trials."

"What trials?" Lucy asked, finally getting over the stunned feeling of meeting the subject of the statue. "And I don't mean any disrespect, but who are you?"

"Ah I see," The goddess spoke. "I have forgotten to introduce myself. Forgive me, I have not done this in a very long time. My name is Gaia, and you, dear humans, have initiated the Trials by Nature. The trials are challenges that young adult humans face in order to understand and respect the power that I have given them, the Anima. If they succeed and pass, they are regarded as full adults, and have earned their full membership into their society. If not, their powers are taken away, and exiled. You four too, will complete the trials. If you fail, your powers will be taken away."

All four of them gaped at the words the goddess spoke. If they failed, they would lose their magic. Their livelihood. Their very essence.

However, it wasn't any of the four who spoke next, but Libra, who eyed the goddess with poorly, if at all, hidden anger. "That was not a part of the deal. Our contract states that only tribe members will lose their powers. They are not a part of that tribe, as I'm sure you are aware. After all, you're the one who ended them."

Before anyone could even process what the celestial spirit had said, the goddess responded, her beautiful face twisted into a snarl. "You would do well not to threaten our contract. After all, it has been in place for thousands of years."

"You would do well to remember that the subjects of our contract have not existed to take part in the trials, for thousands of years. Do not think to threaten me, wench. I know our terms better than you do. However," Libra says as she looks to the four mages. "You must complete the trials. The rules of this dimension demand that if humans come here, that they must complete the trials, and then leave."

Gajeel then stepped forward, not even bothering to hide how angry he was. "Look, I don't know what's going on here, but we can't stay here. If we do......We'll be in danger. We're here by accident. We had no idea that touching that stupid totem would bring us here. Look, if we have to pass these trials, could you at least walk us through them so that we can go?"

"Impossible. You must complete the trials just as my worshippers did."

"But Libra just said that we're not them, and that it's not in your contract that we have to go through these trials. By the way Libra, what contract is she talking about? Did you leave Yukino?" Lucy said, highly confused as to why the celestial spirit was with the goddess in the first place.

"Unfortunately, the contract the Zodiac spirits have with Gaia was made long before we made a contract with you and Yukino. We have no choice but to assist her in the trials, even though the contract hasn't been active in thousands of years. Unfortunately, until our roles are over, you will not be able to summon any of the Zodiac spirits you currently own. But that, is currently being disputed in the Celestial Spirit World."

Lucy pales, and her hand immediately goes to her keys. She is shocked that the usually warm Zodiac keys are cold to the touch, and becomes alarmed. Cold keys meant one thing.

Her contracts were voided.

Seeing the look on her face, Libra quickly interjected. "Do not worry, Lucy. Your contracts are not voided. They are simply on hold."

Lucy sighed in relief, but her hand did not leave her keys. It was a habit she had yet to break whenever she was anxious.

"There is, however, a problem." Libra says as she glares at the goddess. "We all know what happened to Leo the Lion when he failed to save Karen. If the same were to happen to you and Yukino, and you perished, all of the Zodiac spirits would be banished, and die in the human world. If that happens, the Celestial Spirit World would collapse."

All four of the mages went white. They remembered the last time the Celestial Spirit World became unstable during the Eclipse....If it collapsed, there'd be no telling what the destruction would befall it, and in Earthland.

As far as trouble goes, the four mages realized that they'd really stepped in it by coming in contact with that totem.

Elbow deep.

The goddess grins maliciously, seeming to take delight in the grim realizations the humans before her have come to. "Oho, I see that you've finally realized the reality of your situation. If you complete trials and survive, you will get to leave. The faster you complete them, the faster you get to leave. It's that simple. The fact that I have to explain things just goes to show how pitiful humans really are."

She sighed in mock exasperation, before suddenly turning to Libra. "Now, we have no time to waste-"

The words were suddenly caught in her throat as the force of Libra's glare was cast upon her. Strangely enough, everyone could feel this force, and the Celestial Spirit wasn't even using her gravity magic.

It was at this point that Lucy, despite having the utmost respect and love for Celestial Spirits....

Realized just how naive she'd been about the weight of their influence and power.

The goddess glared back, but even her powerful presence was no match for Libra, who it seemed, she'd really pissed off.

"Gaia...You would do well as to not insult the humans. Though they have their faults, their loyalty and courage is far beyond the likes of you, who couldn't even watch over a tribe of them without wiping them out in a fit of rage. We may be under a contract, but you will watch your damn mouth. The only reason that you're even active, is because of an accident. It is because of these so called "pitiful humans" that you've been released from the totem. Instead of insulting them, you should grovel at their feet for even accidentally releasing such a spiteful, pitiful being such as yourself. If we were not under contract, **_I'd make you kneel myself_**.

A bead of sweat ran down Gaia's face, which was twisted in displeasure, but then she grinned, not as smugly as before, but enough to cause the humans to be wary of what she had to say next.

"....Regardless of what happened, they are still stuck here in my domain until they complete all twelve trials. There is no disputing that."

"Maybe not, but the decision to take their magic is not a function of the trials. It is something you do personally. That, is disputable."

Libra turned to the humans then, and spoke. "Now, when you complete a trial, a Zodiac Spirit will appear before you, and give you your directions to complete the next trial. Each trial has a theme or characteristic that animals experience in their lifetime, hence the Trials by Nature. After 3 trials, you will have a day of rest-"

"Forget that," Gajeel said. "We'll finish these Trials in 3 days."

Everyone's eyes bulged in shock. Three days? To complete all twelve trials? That would mean four trials a day, without rest.

"Oi! Don't go making decisions on your own you idiot!" Natsu said, his tongue flaming in displeasure.

"That's right Gajeel! We don't even know what these trials entail. We have to be careful, we can't just go off half cocked!" Levy said, stomping her feet. He was doing it again. Thinking that he could just make decisions for everyone. This was her mission!

"It is impossible to finish the trials in three days. Some trials last the entire day."

"Despit not wanting to agree with the Spirit, she is right." She looked down at them, and seemed to notice the various bags slightly scattered around the humans.....And became angry.

"You dare try to cheat me by bringing items along? Do you honestly believe that I'm going to allow you to use these items?"

Levy stepped forward and frowned. "It seems that you haven't been listening to what's been said. We came here by accident. How could we possibly, knowingly cheat you or the trials when coming here wasn't intentional?"

The goddess seemed to calm then, and Libra spoke. "She is right. They are allowed to keep their items. They have not cheated you, nor can they. They still have to complete the trials. It would also be fair that they keep them, because not only do they have a disadvantage because they lack the Anima power, but because Lucy is lacking her most of her magic due to these trials."

".....Fine." Gaia said. "They will keep their items. But we've wasted enough time as it is. Commence with the first trial."

Gaia then disappears in a flash of light, while Libra turns toward them. "While I cannot help you complete the trials, I am allowed to give you a hint. In order to complete the trials, it was crucial that the members of the tribe study the stars, include the Zodiac constellations."

She then looks to Lucy, and even smiles a bit behind her veil. "You are truly lucky to have Lucy on your side, who knows the stars better than anyone. I will now give you a hint. When you believe you have solved it, call for me, and I will come."

She then speaks in a clear, even voice. **_"The weight of who's decisions is shouldered by many."_**

The Zodiac Spirit then disappears.

Levy then turns to them all and sighs. "Looks like we're in a dire situation. They were right, we don't have a choice but to complete these trials if we wanna get out of here. We should start figuring out this hint immediately so that we can get out of here."

Instead of listening to Levy, he grabbed Natsu and started dragging him away. "We need to talk."

"Oi you bastard! I can walk by myself!" Natsu screamed.

Once they'd gotten far enough away, Gajeel turned to him with a glare.

"We only have five days until we lose our shits. If we finish in three, it'll give them two days to get away."

The moment he finished speaking, he knew he'd made a terrible mistake. He could feel the Dragon in him roar in outrage, and even now, he was angry at himself for even suggesting that Levy be without him for any period of time. His musings were stopped however, by Natsu, who'd grabbed his shirt and gotten close to his face. Gajeel noted that Natsu's eyes had changed, and in the reflection, he could see that his own eyes had changed as well.

"If you really think our Dragons are just gonna let them go away you're stupider than I thought. It's bad enough they were late coming back. We almost lost our shits then. If you're right about this stupid shit then there's no way we're letting them go anywhere without us willingly. Face it iron breath, we're fucked if we do these trials. The only thing we can do now is-"

"Don't. Don't you dare say it."

"....We have to tell them."

Their eyes changed back, as the realization of what they had to do settled on them. They would have to reveal their feelings, and pray that the two women didn't hate them for keeping such a dangerous secret, and also pray that their feelings would be returned. It was a huge gamble. One that could cost the women their lives if they made the wrong decision.

"No."

"Listen metal turd, this is not just our problem, it's their problem too because it involves them. It's bad enough that they're pissed at us. We keep this from them, we're extra fucked. They'll never trust us again. I know for a fact you don't want that shit. We have to tell them. We have to. Hell, it might even go better for us if we do."

"And how, flame-fucker, is it gonna go well for us."

"They might just love us back."

"Fat chance."

"That's rich coming from you. Weren't you the one telling me to get my fucked up feelings in order? Well now I am, and you should too. Even an idiot can tell that you and Levy have feelings for each other. Grow some damn balls and commit. You might be surprised at how she reacts. And who knows, if they love us back, maybe we won't lose our shits afterall. Remember what you said? Our Dragons are doing this because we haven't done anything about our feelings. If we do, and they love us back, there's no need to lose our shit. We'll have them, our Dragons will be happy. It's a done deal."

Gajeel was astonished. Natsu made a good point. Several points, in fact. Just by his own reaction, he knew that he would never let Levy leave him willingly. He'd already slipped a few times and tried to take off with her, consciously and unconsciously. It was clear that it was getting harder and harder to control himself the closer it got to the time of the moon. By the time they finished the trials, early or not, he'd be all but glued to her side. The same would go for Natsu, who already clung to the blonde mage like a dog with a bone.

Natsu had been right. The only way to possibly save the two women would be to tell them everything that's been going on. They'd have to lay themselves bare, and hope that their feelings would be returned.

"That still depends on whether or not they love us back. It's still a huge risk."

"It's a risk we have to take though. Even I know Lucy cares for me somewhat. Whether she'll love me back, is another thing."

"What if they only cooperate because we're in a dire situation? We'd still have the same problem. Except then they'd know we have feelings for them and never speak to us again."

"That's a risk we're gonna have to take. We gotta tell them the truth. At the very least, lets not tell them the whole truth. Not yet. What we do tell them, is the reason that they're in danger is because of a Dragonslayer thing. Nothing about the mating. That'd creep them out to the max."

Still lying by omission....But not as bad as the whole truth all at once...

He'd take it.

"Fine, what do we do in the meantime?"

"The only thing we can do. Start acting on our feelings. Not all at once, but you know what I mean..."

"Yeah...." He said, looking back to where the two women were, to find that they were looking back at them, almost intently. His eyes opened in shock, and he turned back to Natsu, who'd also noticed and was looking back at them, a wry grin on his face.

"You know," he said. "It's almost like they know exactly what's going on....Or they at least suspect it.

Surprisingly, the pink haired Dragonslayer chose to look directly at Lucy and winked, putting on a charming grin. The blonde mage then blushed furiously and turns away from them, while Levy starts grinning and begins nudging her with her elbow.

"Look metal breath, this is only thing we can do. I suggest you suck it up and get right with Levy, because it's a good chance that her survival depends on it."

Natsu then began to head back to the two women, as Gajeel looked at him in wonder. It'd seemed that he'd severly underestimated the pink haired man's intelligence, as well as many people had. Everything he'd said, made sense. They didn't have a choice but to tell them what was going on. If they didn't, they'd be in worse danger.

He began walking walking back and sighed.

He now realized that if he wanted to save Levy, he was gonna have to romance her.

Oh joy.

...................................

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Thank you all for patiently waiting! The next chapter will be up soon since chapter 11 was getting too long. I decided to post this chapter on the anniversary of the last chapter to make it more special! :D I hope you guys enjoyed it! The first trial officially starts on chapter 12!

 

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

DISCLAIMER: FAIRY TAIL AND ALL OF ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO HIRO MASHIMA AND NOT ME. THE ONLY THING I CAN CLAIM IS THE PLOT AND THE OTHER CHARACTERS.

 

I know this has been long awaited guys, so I won't waste any words. Let's get on with story!

 

Summary:

 

When Levy invites Lucy and Natsu on a mission to translate wall carvings from an ancient temple, they accidentally invoke the "Trials by Nature", a series of tests that an ancient tribe used as a way to initiate members into adult hood. They must conquer the twelve basic animal instincts, while trying to reign in the feelings that the trials invoke in them.

...

* * *

Natsu walked back to the women, who were waiting patiently for both Dragonslayers to return. He paid no attention to Gajeel, who was taking his sweet time walking back. It didn't matter to him. His focus was entirely on the blonde mage who was present in nearly all of his thoughts. Iron breath could have his insecurities, but he was no longer gonna deny his feelings. It had taken some time, but he was finally ready to acknowledge that he was utterly, completely, head over heels in love with Lucy Heartfilia. So in love, that the dragon inside of him was threatening to destroy their entire relationship because he had failed to act on his feelings. Feelings that his inner dragon had come to terms with before he had.

 

He was kind of embarrassed actually.

 

His baser instincts, that he was supposed to be in control of, had been acting out his feelings without him ever realizing it. He was even more embarrassed that he'd been caught by Gajeel of all people. At the very least, instead of being a complete dick about it, he'd been willing to help him.

 

But that was probably because he was in the same boat as he was.

 

So utterly in love with a woman, but unable to consciously act out his feelings of affection. But of course, he understood his hesitations, considering he'd viciously beaten the small mage when they first met.

 

But he had no excuse now. They were friends now. Practically more than friends if their behavior was any indication.

 

As he came to stand by the still blushing mage, still being subjected to Levy's playful ribbing and teasing, he couldn't help but grin, making Lucy's blush deepen, turning her head away from him embarrassment.

 

As Gajeel finally caught up with them, he saw the look of extreme discomfort on his face. Despite their conversation a few minutes prior, he found that he couldn't be hard on Gajeel. Like he said, they were in the same boat. He knew that Lucy held some affection for him, if her blushing face was any indication. But just like Gajeel, he had no way to guarantee that the woman of his affections wouldn't be scared off or hurt when they learned the truth. And they were here in an alternative dimension, with no way out but to complete some stupid Trials. And although both women were extremely intelligent, Gajeel and Natsu were Dragonslayers, natural hunters, raised in the wild with the deadliest hunters that ever lived, Dragons.

 

If it ever came down to a chase, he had no doubt that both women would try their best to stay out of his and Gajeel's clutches.

 

But he also had no doubt that they would ultimately fail.

 

He sighed, and decided to file that worrisome thought away for another time. For now, they had to deal with the problem at hand.

 

The first Trial.

 

Lucy sighed, and rubbed the back of her neck, trying to sooth away the ache that began to develop. "Alright, now that we're all here, we can take the time to regroup."

 

Gajeel scoffed, and rolled his eyes. "I don't think that's the prime objective here. The first Trial has started. We need to figure this out before we do anything else."

 

Levy huffed and crossed her arms. "There you go again Gajeel. Stop trying to order everyone around. This is my mission, and while I'm not saying  _I_  should ordering people around, it's not fair for you to just take charge of us."

 

"Levy is right," Lucy said, also crossing her arms in annoyance. "We just got dropped in an alternative dimension, we need to get our bearings. It's better that we're all on the same page instead of just doing our own thing. We need to establish what we need to do and then set about doing them in an organized, and constructive manner."

 

"Right, so we need to figure out the answer the to the Trial first. We have no idea if there's a time limit. Our magic is on the line." Gajeel said, a scowl forming on his face.

 

Lucy rolled her eyes and in a loud voice yelled, "Libra! We have the answer!"

 

Everyone's eyes widened, and Gajeel lost it. "Have you lost your damn mind?! We didn't even have time to talk about that stupid hint!"

 

Any further talk was halted as Libra reappeared. "You have an answer already?" She said, a hint of amusement in her tone.

 

Before Gajeel could interrupt her, Lucy stepped forward. "We have. The answer to this riddle, is  _the Leader_."

 

Libra stood silent for a moment, and then nodded her head. "That is correct. Congratulations, you have passed your first Trial. Capricorn will soon be here to explain your second Trial. Good luck to you all."

 

Libra once again disappeared, and Lucy turned to them all, who looked absolutely flabbergasted that she'd had the right answer. "What?" She asked them. "It was an obvious answer. The weight of who's decisions is shouldered by many. It's the leader. Just like when a King makes a decision, it in turn affects his entire kingdom."

 

Levy recovered first, and after a moment of contemplation, she nods. "That was smart. Libra was right, we'd be lost without your knowledge."

 

Gajeel sighs and roughly runs a hand through his hair. "You got lucky Blondie, but next time. you discuss it with us before you do anything like that."

 

Lucy grinned. "You mean we should work together, and not just make decisions for everyone?"

 

Gajeel scoffed and turned his head away, obviously embarrassed.

 

Lucy snickered, "And now that Gajeel has learned his lesson," Gajeel scoffed again, this time in annoyance, "we need to do what the Trial was hinting at. We need to decide on who should be the leader. We're gonna do this like civilized human beings. Everyone who wants to be leader, raise your hand."

 

Levy, Natsu, and Gajeel all raised their hands. Lucy sighed, and rubbed her neck again.

 

This was gonna be tough.

 

"Okay," she said. "Since I'm the deciding the vote, I'm gonna vote for Levy-"

 

"What?!" Gajeel said, outraged. "Are you kidding me?! This ain't gonna be a fair vote if you two are just gonna stick together. I say we vote on experience and skills. If that were the case, we'd know better how to use everyone else's skills to EVERYONE'S benefit."

 

Lucy contemplated for a moment and then nodded. "You make a good point Gajeel. I'll reserve my vote until then. Since you proposed this, you can go first."

 

Gajeel nodded and then began to speak. "I should be the leader because not only was I raised in environments like this, but because physically, I'm a lot stronger than anyone here, and from what I'm smelling, you're gonna need me to fight off the other creatures here."

 

Levy scoffed. "That's all really fascinating Gajeel, but the problem is that when you and Natsu joined this mission, it was for your strength. Not for your brains. Strength is not the only thing that matters, it never did. How are you supposed to use our skills to everyone's benefit if the only thing that matters to you is strength?"

 

Gajeel floundered for an answer, and Natsu snickered. "Boy, she really shot down your entire argument."

 

Lucy sighed. "Natsu, this isn't the time for ridicule. If you think you can do better, you go next."

 

Natsu grinned, and began to speak. "Well, not only am I strong, but I can at least know how to treat everyone with respect and not order them around without any consideration. I've known Levy and Lucy the longest, and I know their strength's and weaknesses. Not only that, since I've been by Lucy's side, I'm actually familiar with most of her spirits."

 

Levy grinned. "Very convincing argument Natsu. Except for the fact that the reason Lucy was so pissed off at you, was because you  _didn't_  have consideration for her skills and feelings when it came to the battlefield. Not only that, you  _agreed_  with Gajeel that Lucy and I should basically report to you two before we did anything. Also, all of Lucy's spirits love her, especially her Zodiac spirits. Do you  _honestly_  think that any of her spirits will cooperate with you willingly after you hurt her feelings so badly, and for so long? You're obsessively protective over her. Besides, whose to say you won't revert to that behavior now that Lucy's most powerful spirits are out of commission?"

 

Natsu's confident grin gradually faded with Levy's every word, and Gajeel's grin only grew. "Ha! Looks like I ain't the only one who got cut down."

 

Lucy rolled her eyes. "It's not about cutting someone down Gajeel. This is serious business. Honestly, both of you had good arguments."

 

Both Dragonslayers faces were surprised, but none more than Levy, who turned to Lucy, puzzled. "Are you serious? All they did was basically boast about their own strength and take jabs at each other." Levy said.

 

"Maybe so," Lucy said. "But they both bring up good points. Gajeel and Natsu are strong, and if what Gajeel said is true, and that there  _are_  other creatures out here with us, something that concerned him enough for him to bring it up, then we will need both Gajeel and Natsu's strength and survival skills to survive here. Natsu does actually have a good relationship with my spirits, and if they had any problems with him, they would have brought it up to me a long time ago. They have actually gotten along pretty well as of recently, so that won't be a problem. As for either of them being leaders though, I have to say that they would both be better as assets. Despite their skills, their rivalry is just too much temptation for them to take even more jabs at each other. They'll eventually start fighting and that's not what's needed."

 

Gajeel sighed. "I guess that means Levy is the leader."

 

"Hold up."

 

Everyone turned to Natsu, who was staring at Lucy rather hard. "Lucy, how come you didn't raise your hand to be leader?"

 

Gajeel and Levy also turn to Lucy, who begins to fidget under the weight of their stares.

 

"What do you mean? You guys have way more skills than I do. Besides, this was Levy's mission in the first place. She's more than smart enough to use all of our skills to to help us complete these Trials."

 

Rationally, everything Lucy was saying was absolutely true. But if Lucy was being completely honest with herself, she knew that she didn't have any standing to be leader. Natsu, Gajeel, and Levy had way more experience than she did. They had been raised in their guilds, while she had been raised in a mansion like a fragile princess. Sure she had trained to be a mage, but she'd had tutors and magic teachers. Her friends had street smarts, and were extremely resilient. Who was she to try to lead these incredible people?"

 

Natsu frowned. "What the hell are you-"

 

"Look, unlike you and Gajeel, Levy doesn't have anything to gain over being the leader. You and Gajeel are constantly trying to one up each other."

 

Gajeel reluctantly nodded. "I hate to say it, but Blondie is right."

 

Natsu rolls his eyes. "Look, maybe me and Iron breath  _aren't_  the best leaders. But you would be. Sorry to say this Luce, but Levy WOULD gain something by being leader. Her and Gajeel have been arguing since you guys found that hidden temple. Her being leader would end any arguments against her. Unlike you, she didn't even try to see the benefits of either me or Gajeel being leader. Yeah we ain't the right ones for the job, but you're the only one who pointed out the positive points of our arguments. Just like me and Gajeel keep arguing, he and Levy are having their own little fight. Kinda hard to remain objective if that's the case."

 

Lucy tried her best to come up something to refute his claims, but was saved by Gajeel who turned to Natsu with a frown. "Oi, if that's the case, Lucy wouldn't be a good candidate either. You and her had that argurment in the temple-"

 

"Yeah, except me and Luce hashed all that out already. Besides, Lucy is the best with all these hints, and she knows our strengths the best. Libra even said it. We're LUCKY that Lucy is here."

 

"You know," Levy said, as she crossed her arms in contemplation. "Natsu has a point. Although I do have a lot of knowledge, Lucy would be the best at putting our skills to work to benefit all of us. She does it all the time! Just look at her magic, she deals with a lot of Celestial Spirits who have a myriad of different abilities, strengths, and weaknesses."

 

Gajeel nods, finding the idea of Lucy being the leader more and more preferential. "I gotta say, the Shrimp has a point. While me and Levy were arguing, Blondie here is the one who broke it up by saying we should split up into teams. Even had a time when we should be back so that if we were in any trouble, we'd know what to do."

 

Lucy's face became panicked, while Levy once again pitched in. "Not only that, but it was Lucy's idea to use Loke's powers to see what was at the bottom of the cenote. If it wasn't for her ingenuity, we wouldn't have even known that there was another temple, or even found the entrance behind the throne in the first temple, or the totem that we'd been looking for. In addition to that, Lucy practically saved us from being stuck here without you guys. When we found it, I wanted to go in and explore, but she's the one who stopped me and suggested we find you first."

 

"Oh come on guys-"

 

"Yeah, that's right!" Natsu said, his grin wide as he looked at Lucy with pride. "And she's the one who suggested that me and Iron breath help search the temple with you guys, so that we could save time and leave together by morning instead of leaving you two behind. Of course if the totem hadn't been such a pain in the ass, we actually would have made it, and had the extra money from finding the damn thing."

 

And of course, if the totem hadn't been such a pain in the ass, the two women would have had a chance to get away from them and be safe.

 

But of course, things just had to be difficult, Natsu thought as he calmed his thoughts and his inner dragon, who was still enraged at the thought of Lucy being away from him. Fortunately, being in such close proximity to his favorite mage, prevented his eyes from changing.

 

The Exceed would have certainly been out of the bag then.

 

Natsu took a deep and refocused on the situation at hand. After a few moments of consideration, all three nodded together and looked at Lucy, their minds seemingly made up. Levy spoke up up then, sealing Lucy's fate. "All in favor of voting Lucy the leader, raise their hand."

 

With a gulp, Lucy watched as Natsu, Gajeel, and Levy all raised their hands in favor of her being the leader.

 

Well shit.

 

"Guys, really..."

 

"Look Luce, we all voted like civilized human beings, just like you wanted. Besides, you wanted a chance to prove yourself right? What better time than now?" He stepped closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders like he always did, and grinned his infuriatingly handsome grin at her. "You're gonna do great Lucy."

 

Lucy huffed, and pouted a bit, a blush forming on her cheeks. "...Fine, I'll do it."

 

Natsu whooped in excitement, while Lucy rolled her eyes and smiled a bit.

 

Damn him. He'd always had a way of making her do what he wanted.

 

As if sensing that everything was seemingly settled, another zodiac appeared. Once the light settled, it was revealed to be Capricorn.

 

"Capricorn!" Lucy cried, ducking under Natsu's arm and running into the Celestial Spirit's arms, hugging him desperately.

 

The Zodiac spirit smiled tensely, hugging his mage back. "Lucy-sama, I'm glad to see that you're okay."

 

Lucy looked up at Capricorn's face, knowing that something was wrong instantly. "Capricorn, what's going on?"

 

The Zodiac spirit sighed and frowned, before sitting on a nearby boulder, adjusting Lucy so that she now sat in his lap, something that mildly annoyed Natsu. "My mood has nothing to do with you, per se, Lucy-sama. My ire is firmly directed at Gaia. I'm sure that Libra has informed you of what's happening in the Celestial Spirit Realm?"

 

Lucy nodded. "She didn't tell us everything, but she said enough to let us know that we're in trouble."

 

Capricorn nodded. "Trouble indeed. Because of Gaia's arrogance, we are being forced to do these Trials again. The Celestial Spirit King and the rest of my Zodiac comrades are currently pleading our case to the Fates. Gaia is fighting us every step of the way. The Fates will be the ones who will decide who's contract has the most importantance. Naturally, I would say that our contract with you and Yukino-sama takes precedence. The consequences should you or Yukino-sama perish while our contract with Gaia is being enacted, far outweigh the consequences of not completing the Trials. However, the Trials must be completed. Also, the Fates have already deemed that it would be unfair to have access to the Zodiac spirits during the course of the Trials, as there is a chance for cheating."

 

"Who are the Fates?" Lucy asked.

 

"The Fates are just what they sound like. They are the ones who moniter the fates of every living creature in this galaxy. Not all fates are set in stone however, as it is possible to defy fate to a degree, but if it threatens the balance, the Fates will guide things into place so that the balance is restored. Unfortunately, in this instance, the Fates have had to personally judge how things must go. I'm just hoping that fate will be kind to us and things will go our way. All we can do for now is to argue our case. There's not much we can do until then."

 

"What?!" Natsu said, outraged. "That's complete horse shit! How is it fair that Lucy can't have access to not only most of the source of her magic, but the strongest source of her magic?! Libra even said that we're at a disadvantage because we don't have the same magic that these stupid Trials were made for! And if that ain't the worse part, we ain't the ones who were supposed to go through this shit!"

 

"I hate to agree with Pinky here, but he's got a point." Gajeel said, frowning. "If I remember right, Libra said that we're not even part of the tribe that are supposed to be doing the Trials, and that Gaia is the one who wiped them out."

 

Capricorn nodded. "That is indeed true. Which is why everything is such a mess. Gaia defied fate to such a degree that she was punished by being trapped into the Totem. Instead of being able to guide her people, she was forced to stay in this dimension."

 

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, wiping out a whole tribe of people is a big no-no?"

 

"Among other things. This tribe was meant for something greater, but Gaia's arrogance ensured that it would never happen, at least not in the time it was supposed to happen. That reminds me, your magic is safe. If you fail the Trials, you will not lose your magic. The Fates deemed that since it was not part of the original contract, that it will not be permitted for her to take your powers."

 

All of the mages there breathed a sigh of relief. Even if they failed, they would still have their magic.

 

"However, if you do fail, you forgo the reward at the end of the Trials."

 

Lucy looked up at her weary spirit. "What reward?"

 

"The Fates deemed that since you all came here at a disadvantage, that should you complete the Trials successfully, that you will all be gifted with the Anima magic. Of course, Gaia was unhappy with that, but the Fates found that for you all to be forced to complete the Trials, while not a part of Gaia's tribe, and Lucy without her Zodiac spirits, and the threat of the collapse of the Celestial Spirit Realm, that the long lost Anima magic is a fair gift."

 

Gajeel scoffed. "What's so special about this magic, that it's deemed a fair reward for us going through all this shit?"

 

Capricorn frowned at Gajeel and removed his shades, revealing his piercing eyes. "The Anima is a magic power that is unlimited."

 

Levy's jaw dropped, before regaining control of herself. "T-That's impossible. All magic requires Ethernano to function. It's not possible for it to be unlimited."

 

Capricorn nodded. "That is true to a point. But think about it, miss Levy, this is not Earthland, there is no Ethernano in the air here. Yet you were able to use your magic to land all of you safely on the ground."

 

Levy's eyes widened, as she looked at her own hands. Capricorn was right, she could feel her magic coursing through her body, but it felt freer somehow. She looked back at Capricorn, who replaced his shades and gave a wry grin.

 

"Do you see what I mean now? This atmosphere is quite different from Earthland. On Earthland, the atmosphere constrains and limits how much Ethernano your body can contain. Those with small containers, they can't do magic at all. But here, instead of being constrained, the atmosphere actually encourages your body to produce Ethernano on its own. Any magic you use, the Ethernano in your body automatically replenishes itself. In other words..."

 

"...You never run out of magic." Levy said.

 

Natsu finally decided to speak up. "Is that why humans have to leave once they complete the trials?"

 

Capricorn nodded. "Imagine if the wrong people, got a hold of the atmosphere here. This place is sacred, and the atmosphere here is extremely valuable. It's why the Anima magic is such a great reward. It contains all of the elements of this atmosphere. Once you have it, you will no longer run out of Ethernano. No matter what magic you use, it would never run out. But if you leave here without it, your magic will once again be restrained by Earthland's atmosphere."

 

Capricorn stood then, gently setting Lucy on her feet. "In addition to the atmosphere contained in the Anima magic, it also allows you to morph your body at will into any animal body part. Every single species of animal, and their advantages. Wings, claws, gills, venom, strength...All of that knowledge and power, available at your leisure, whenever you want, without the disadvantage of having to take over the animal. Even magical creatures count."

 

Capricorn sighed again. "I must take my leave, unfortunately, Lucy-sama. But with your knowledge, and your friend's help, I am sure I will see you again soon enough."

 

Lucy nodded and went back to Natsu, who wasted no time in wrapping his arm around her again murmuring comforting words in her ear, his eyes flashing red for a moment. While flash had escaped anyone else's notice, it hadn't escaped Capricorn's. Noting his behavior, the Zodiac spirit tilted his back, looking at the sky, judging the position of the heavens for a few moments before spotting what he was looking for. "...Ah yes, it's that time again."

 

Capricorn then looked at Natsu, and then to Gajeel who had moved much closer to Levy, the Zodiac spirit removed his shades once again to make sure they got the point. "I suggest that while you're here, you treat these ladies with the utmost respect and care. I care not for the season, if they are hurt, I will hurl both of you into the void."

 

Before anyone could begin to interpret what he meant, Capricorn crossed his arms and spoke again.  _ **"Conquest is always easier than subjugation."**_

 

The spirit then smiles and disappears, leaving them to ponder the hint, and the warning he left.

 

Both women turned to the Dragonslayers, their expressions and stances both demanding an explanation.

 

Natsu and Gajeel both looked at each other. They both thought that they would have more time to explain things.

 

Welp.

 

Time's up bitches.

...

* * *

 

Hey guys! Hopefully you liked this chapter. Not much action, but not all of the Trials will be action based. Oh! The hint this time is a quote by Yoon Ha Lee! I thought it would be fitting considering Capricorn's history and the current Trial. I'll explain it in the next chapter. So! A lot of things were explained here, I hope you read over things carefully, and I hope that things aren't too confusing for you guys. As usual, leave a comment and tell me what you guys think! Till next time! Bye!


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